Sojourn

2011-07-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

State Convention Highlights

Friday, July 15

12:00 PM Senior Pastor/State Staff luncheon

7:00 PM Evening Session

Special Guest Minister, Evangelist Kay Horner

Children's Church

Saturday, July 16, 2011

9:00 AM Morning Session

Committee Reports/Business Session

Address by the State Bishop, Dr. E.C. McKinley

12:00 PM Ladies Luncheon

Hosted by Women of Grace, Londa Richardson Director

Special Musical Guest Candy Hemphill Christmas

2:30 PM Afternoon Session for ALL pastors and local church leaders

IMPORTANT: This is a special session for everyone where vital information will be shared. ALL PASTORS,
LICENSED MINISTERS and DEACONS are expected to attend with the LAITY.

7:00 PM Evening Session

Worship and Youth Focus

Special Guest speaker, Dr. Tom Renfro, M.D. This message will be followed by a special time of prayer for healing
for the sick.

Children's Church

Sunday, July 17

9:00 AM Morning Session

Deceased Ministers Program

Dr. Tom Renfro

Appointments

Missionary Jerry Chalk

2011-07-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

Missionary Jerry Chalk will be at our church at 1001 West Spring Street, Lebanon, Tn. 37087 on Sunday, July 10, 2011 @ 6pm to speak about his mission ministry.

While on a mission trip, God spoke to him and called him to go live in and evangelize the Ukraine. Jerry responded to the call and settled in the Ukraine, becoming fluent in the Russian language and wedding Lyana, a native Ukrainian.

Jerry serves as an Associate Pastor in a large Church of God of Prophecy congregation in the Ukraine that has experienced unbelievable growth in recent years. Jerry’s passion is evangelizing the lost and un-churched. He spends virtually every night in local villages preaching to those who need the gospel.

There are many obstacles facing evangelism in the Ukraine. Christians are persecuted there, making church planting very difficult. It is very rare to see a traditional house of worship - many congregations have to meet in places of business or outdoors due to governmental obstacles. (Jerry’s church meets in a movie theater!) Despite the difficulties, Christianity is spreading in the Ukraine, and Jerry has personally seen thousands of lives touched by the power of God!

Send your Glory Lord

2011-05-25T12:03:00.001-05:00

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11

I cannot describe to you the awesome, riveting, running over, exciting presence of God and His Glory that is starting to fill our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits here at the Lebanon Church of God of Prophecy! As you may or may not know, I have accepted the full time pastorate position at this church. I'm just in awe of God and His divine appointments that He has brought my way. I'm very thankful to be where I am today and I know that it's only by the grace and mercy of God that He has given me this season to minister to a great church body that has an excitement about them to "go into the harvest" and reach the lost for Jesus!

This past Sunday morning I was lead to minister to the congregation about the urgency to have the Glory of God in our individual lives, homes, and churches. I was lead to the account of the daughter-in-law of Eli found in 1 Samuel chapter 4. His daughter-in-law had given birth to a son, Ichabod. The name Ichabod has a meaning of "The glory has departed, or left" and he was named this because the Ark of the Covenant of God had been taken from the people of Israel. So often in our lives, we put ourselves into situations to where we find ourselves not walking in the glory of God. Sometimes, we allow ourselves to be mislead by what we subject our thoughts and actions to, that we don't give room for the glory of God to be welcomed into our lives.

We don't have to walk in "yesterdays" achievements. We don't have to continue on the same beaten path because it's always been the thing to do. I believe God is calling us to a greater standard than what we have been living and it's time to pray for the replacement of the spirit of Ichabod and accept the spirit of Immanuel, "God with us!" We have, for so long, let men's opinions and sinful ways dictate our blessings and outcomes of our situations instead of desiring "more God" in our lives. I believe, in my own spiritual walk, that I need to pray for the spirit of Immanuel in my life, everyday! It's when we put our total trust in God for our lives, that He truly blesses us with His glory!

What an awesome "revival" the church of God will experience when we start letting God work in our services, our lives, our work, our homes, etc... I pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that we can experience the Glory of God in our churches like they did in the early church in the book of Acts. Why aren't we "adding to the church daily?" Maybe because we have been walking in the wrong spirit for too long. Let's expect the glory of God to be a refreshing breath of energy in our church services and subsequently revival will happen!

New Season, Again!

2011-04-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

I'm excited about what God is doing right now in our lives! In just a few short days I will explain what's going on. God is doing amazing things and answering prayers. He is opening doors that only He can open and I'm looking forward to walking through them! More to come later...

Five Reasons Small Churches Don’t Grow

2011-02-12T14:30:00.000-06:00

Came across this article on a blog that I follow and thought I would share it:

Five Reasons Small Churches Don’t Grow

1. Unresolved Conflict. Conflicted churches don’t grow. It’s never “fun” to deal with conflict, but in a smaller church there seems to be so much more at stake. The loss of a family or a whole family system in a medium sized church is unpleasant. In a small church, though, that same loss may mean half or more of the worshipping participants walking out. And so, rather than dealing with conflict effectively, the leaders and the congregation as a whole will choose to ignore the conflict. Of course, this can kill the church just as dead … it just takes longer.

2. Lack of Hospitality. First-time visitors decide whether or not they’ll return to your congregation within the first 10 minutes of their visit – and some experts suggest the decision is made within the first three minutes. Either way, you will never get another chance to make a first-impression, so make sure your guests are well received. Remember that Hospitality begins in the parking lot, not once a guest finds their way into your worship center. They generally come with pretty low expectations and an even lower opinion of churches and their members, so when they show up on your doorstep you’re already starting from a deficit. Thus, if there’s no safe, sanitary, and secure nursery for their little ones they are unlikely to be back. If they have to try and keep their older children and youth “entertained” during your worship service, they won’t be back … mostly because they were totally unable to worship or even hear the message, since they were continually distracted by their kids. And if you break any of the Platinum Rules of Guest Relations – Don’t Embarrass Me, Don’t Ignore Me, Don’t Overwhelm Me, and Don’t Confuse Me – they won’t be back. For the record, everything you do … from your choice of hymns to the content of your sermon … is related to hospitality. This is the number one reason first-time guests don’t return.

3. Inward Focused. Although it’s true of non-growing churches of every size, it’s especially hard to miss when a small church is more concerned with answering the question “What about us?” rather than “How can we be the tangible touch of Jesus for our neighbors?” When maintaining status quo outweighs faithful effectiveness, church growth is impossible. Please note this is not strictly a “style of worship” issue. Inward focus generally pervades every decision a non-growing small church makes from where the pastor spends her/his time to what events get on the calendar. Offer an early evening Family-Friendly Christmas Eve Service that will attract and reach the neighborhood? “We’ve always had a 7 PM service of Scripture and Carols with candlelight every year. What about us?” Indeed, even offering an alternative (two services!) will get shot down – “You expect us here two times on Christmas Eve?!?!”

4. Leaders Don’t Support the Growth. Someday we’ll write a book titled “Classic Textbook!” In it we’ll include those practices and results that are Classic Textbook. Like this one. Here’s the scenario that’s played out over and over and over and over in the small church. A new pastor arrives … or a long-time pastor gets busy … and suddenly there’s growth. There’s new people coming and the average attendance starts to swell. Everything seems fine. The new members seem to be well accepted by the current members who seem to be happy there’s new life. Within a couple of months attendance has almost doubled! The pastor starts writing articles for Net Results, the local denominational official is calling and congratulating the pastor, and dreams of becoming a keynote speaker on the Church Circuit seems almost with grasp. Then, out of nowhere, conflict breaks out over some seemingly trivial matter. In less than three weeks the congregation is pretty well back where it began, at least attendance-wise. This is Classic Textbook. It happens well over 80 percent of the time in small churches. What’s the root cause? The leadership wasn’t really onboard with the growth. Sure, they nodded at what seemed the appropriate moments, but when SUBCONSCIOUSLY realized they could be outvoted at an upcoming board meeting, that there really were new people who might actually become a committee chair, or worse the board chair, tensions naturally surface. Note, I’ve yet to work with a church where a church leader intentionally started a fight in order to sabotage growth … but it just happens … almost every time. Unless the church leadership is really on board, sustained growth isn’t going to happen.

5. The Church has Become the Walking Dead. If history has shown us anything, it’s that nothing we build lasts forever. The reality is, churches have a life cycle. Churches are birthed, they live, and they die. As wonderful as St. Paul was, not a single church he started exists today. Sure, some churches are born, get old, but find a way to be rebirthed. But in the end, even these churches will one day be history. In reality, there are many, many small churches that have died … they’ve reached the end of their productive life cycle and at best, they are on life support. But the few, the proud, the tenacious will continue to show up because it’s what they’ve always done and to do any differently is unthinkable. These churches need one of two things. In some cases, the remaining membership can be helped to see the congregation needs to be disbanded before they deplete whatever resources are left … and to leave those resources to support a new church start. This is the most faithful legacy a church can leave. On the other hand, some congregations are so steeped in denial and grief that the legacy option seems more like suicide than faithfulness. These churches need a pastor who can serve as their hospice chaplain – someone who’s greatest gift is simply to be there and prepare the dying for death.

On the other hand, if you want to know how to grow a small church – and it’s happening all across North America – we recommend a couple of resources. First, watch the Church-Talk episode on Smaller Church Leadership … and take a look at related episodes (there are a couple years of weekly Church Transformation episodes to keep you and your teams busy). Second, if you’re really serious about growing your small church, be sure to check out the Small Church Coaching network (www.SmallChurchCoaching.com) and the resources offered there to help you and your congregation go to the next level.

He's in town

2010-12-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday morning as I was praying for the service @ LifeHouse Harvest before anyone else arrived, I remember specifically asking for a "manifestation" of God's presence in the service. We definately had a great service on Sunday as the Spirit of the Lord moved in our worship time and it was as if we felt those "Angels wings" brushing up against us as we took-in the presence of God.

I have begun reading a book that has actually been sitting on my book shelf a long time and, being prompted by the Holy Spirit, I picked it up and began to scan through it. I have quit scanning through it and have begun to "read" it and I wanted to share with you today an excerpt from chapter 2. The book title is The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney. The chapter 2 title is No Bread in the "House of Bread" and there is a couple of paragraphs from this chapter that I would like to share with you:

Do we even know when He's in town? On the day Jesus made what we call His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a little donkey, His path through the city probably led him right past the entrance to the temple of Herod. I believe the reason the Pharisees were upset at the parade in John 12 is because it disturbed their religious services inside the temple.
I can hear them complaining, "What is all this going on? You're disturbing the high priest! Don't you know what we are doing? We are having a very important prayer service inside. Do you know what we're praying for? We're praying for the Messiah to come! And you have the audacity to have this noisy parade and disturb us?! Who is in charge of this unruly mob anyway?" Uh, do you see the guy on the little donkey?
They missed the hour of their visitation. He was in town and they didn't know it. The Messiah passed right by their door while they were inside praying for Him to come. They didn't recognize Him. Had Jesus come on the back of a prancing white stallion, or in a royal chariot of gold with a phalanx of soldiers ahead of Him, the Pharisees and priests would have said, "That might be Him."
God is getting ready to break out in America, even if He has to bypass her stuffy churches to break out in the barrooms! We would be wise to remember that He has bypassed the religious elite before to dine with the poor, the profane, and the prostitutes. We need His presence. We need to decide that whatever it takes and wherever it comes from, we must have Him. And He wants to come - on His terms, not ours. We can be inside praying for Him to come while He passes by outside. Worse than that, the "insiders" miss Him while the "outsiders" march with Him!

As I read this chapter I was convicted about "not knowing Him as I prayed for Him to be manifest in my life!" I believe that a lot of times we pray for Him to show up in our services but on that note we don't allow Him to show up because of "religion", "schedules", "programs", etc... We, as a body of Christ, need to learn how to recognize Him when He is in our services. We must learn to listen to the Spirit and move with Him instead of asking Him to move with us. How awesome would our services be if we started recognizing the "Bread" instead of being selfish and wanting to have our way. It is my desire to know Him when He's in town! When He passes by in our services, no matter what is on the agenda, we must be able to "let Him pass by" for our nourishment and growth as Christians!

21-day commitment

2010-11-27T21:37:00.001-06:00

In just a few short days we will be in the last month of the year 2010. My, how this year has passed by in a hurry! In the month of December my focus, as leading LifeHouse Harvest, will be on getting ready for a commitment, individually and corporately, to fast the first 21 days of the new year. As I was browsing through the different web sites that I like to visit for direction, inspiration, and encouragement I came across an article, or a brief introduction of a call to a 21 day fast to the COGOP from General Overseer R.E. Howard. I would like to share this with you today and will be posting more about this fast in days to come.

21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING

January 1—21, 2011

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity;” Jeremiah 29: 12-14a

"I invite every individual and local church to join me for 21 days of prayer and fasting, as we seek God’s direction and blessing in the New Year. I believe that a strength of the church is prayer, the ministry of intercession. What can defeat a church on its knees? All over the world God has rekindled the passion and call to prayer saying, 'My house shall be called of all nations a house of Prayer!' Join me and thousands of others from around the world as we unite our heart, minds, and prayers for our families, churches, and world." -RE Howard, General Overseer

Don't give up on me

2010-11-16T11:14:00.000-06:00

For those of you that may actually read this blog I'm very, very sorry that I have neglected to post anything in quite a while. I have no excuses for not posting anything but I could conjure up some if it would make us feel better! There has been a lot of things going on and it's taken me away from the computer which doesn't allow me time to post. I have also found that I have neglected other things in my Spiritual life due to moving, planting, etc... but I'm being reminded by the Lord that I need to change some things so that He gets the time with me that I need!! Notice how that last sentence was put - "I need to change some things so that He gets the time with me that I need." God wants to spend time with us for our nurturing, strength, etc... When we spend time with God through prayer, reading the Word, meditating on Him or whatever avenue that is used to get alone with Him, it is for receiving what we need that we can't get anywhere else!!!
"Lord, help me keep my eyes, hands, ears, thoughts, feelings, emotions, desire, etc... on you! Please don't give up on me!"

Decreasing self image

2010-11-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

As I write this morning I'm in awe of what God is doing! I've not really found ample time to sit and post anything until today for I've found myself pretty busy for the Kingdom lately and it's almost been overwhelming in a sense. I'm realizing that the more you do for God the more the enemy is against you and you find yourself having to overcome some obstacles that are in the way both physically and spiritually. I'm reminded of Paul when he wrote the words that we need to have etched inside our brains - "i die daily". Notice that I didn't capitalize the word i. This was intentional because I'm finding more and more everyday that i am nothing without God and that i can't make it everyday without His presence leading me and guiding me through every "moment" of my life. I believe it was John that said, "i must decrease so that He can increase." I want to be found guilty today of decreasing for Christ so that His image will be revealed through me.

One point heartbreak again!

2010-11-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

Well, another football season has come and gone for the Jr. Pro League that Blake played for. Blake was on the Sr. Owl team and had a great season with an 8-2 record. It was almost like Dejua Vu from last year with the team making it to the championship game again, only to lose by one point (21-20). All in all, there were great life lessons learned this year and Blake will always have memories of Jr. Pro and those memories last a life time. Next football season he will be a 7th grader only to start yet another "season" in his life as a middle schooler! I'm proud of you buddy!!!

LifeHouse Harvest

2010-10-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1

As I write this post today, I'm in awe of what God is about to do! This past Sunday night, a group of people (32 in fact) gathered in a small one car garage at a home just down the road to come together in worship, word, prayer and fellowship. After the last car pulled in the driveway and the families made their way into the garage, that had been made into a make-shift sanctuary, we began to fellowship and laugh and catch up on some lost time. As we sat in our "ball field chairs" and "plastic chairs" and enjoyed eachother's company, we began to get our mind on why we had gathered together.

I opened up "the service" with a prayer and some thoughts on what God was about to do within the group of people that had determind to gather, worship, pray, fellowship and seek God's face. We began to sing an old song by the name of "We have come into this place" which reminds us of "why we are gathered"... to gather in His name and worship Him...to lift up holy hands to worship Him...to forget about ourselves and worship Him...to concentrate on Him and worship Him. As that song ended, the Holy Spirit was already moving and impressed others to lead us in another worship song. We began to sing, "Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary" because we are in the process of realizing that we don't have to be in a man made sanctuary to worship. There we were in a man made garage worshipping Christ! What an awesome feeling it was. As I was opening up service the Lord impressed on me and reminded me that even our "Savior" was born in a stable and so we can worship Him anywhere, afterall, we are the sanctuary!

As we continued to sing, a presence of the Holy Spirit filled the room and there were crying, rejoicing, hands lifted high, and even some old fashioned "conviction" being felt. We had a young lady make things right with the Lord in this garage that we were worshipping in! Praise the Lord!! As the Holy Spirit moved and they continued to pray I was lead to just go ahead and preach a little bit so I did! The Lord reminded us that we are going to have to give something in order to receive something. In other words, an offering that doesn't cost us anything (not monetary), profits us nothing. But, when we realize that the offering in which we are to give to the Lord and the sacrifice we are to present to Him costs us then we will receive and profit from that offering with blessings and promises! Read 1 Chronicles 21.

So as it is, I believe history was in the making as it possibly was the official first meeting of LifeHouse Harvest Church. There is a field that is ripe for the harvest and we have to make every effort to go and be Jesus to a lost and dying world. To be continued...

New Season

2010-09-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

For all of you that don't know what's been going on lately (and why would you because I have neglected this blog) things are changing around the Meadors house. On the first Sunday in August I resigned from Kempville Chapel Old Time Methodist Church effective on the last Sunday in August which has come and gone. If you just sit back and listen to all the birds chirpping you will hear all sorts of reason's why I left and just about all of those would be false. The devil takes these opportunities to try and confuse the work that God has planned for our lives but God knows what He's doing and I will follow Him no matter what is said or not said! God allows us to go through season's in our lives and when one season comes to an end so starts another one!

I'm excited about what God has in store! I don't know the full plan of His hand but from day to day He gives me an insight as to what He is up to! He has opened the door for me to preach revivals in October and also I'm one of the many minister's that is going to be speaking at Freedom Festival coming up in just a short time in Hartsville, Tn. God is doing an awesome thing and I'm looking forward to building the Kingdom of God! There are talks, prayers, and plans on maybe starting/planting a church pretty soon! There is interest and where there is interest God will bless and grow!

Keep us in your prayers as we go through this time of New Season in our lives and ministry and as we learn to hear the voice of God and trust in His hand! Be blessed!

Holy and Beautiful

2010-09-08T08:56:00.001-05:00

I Thessalonians 4:7 says, "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." This scripture has been in my spirit for the past few weeks. I don't know why the Lord has put this in my spirit other than He wants to remind me that I can't live my life, and it be pleasing to Him, without living it for Him and through Him.

The Message Bible puts this scripture this way - "God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful-as beautiful on the inside as the outside." The word unkempt used in the Message paraphrase of this scripture is intriguing to me. There are several definitions of this word such as: (1) not combed: example:unkempt hair, (2) uncared-for or neglected; disheveled; messy: example:unkempt clothes; an unkempt lawn. (3) unpolished; rough; crude.

When I look at these definitions and compare them to how I'm supposed to be living for the Lord, holy and beautiful, I find some areas in my walk with the Lord that are "not combed", "uncared-for", "neglected", "unpolished", and "rough". Every day of our lives we are to be pleasing to the Lord in our walk, talk, thoughts, actions, etc... How can I live a holy life if I'm leaving some things uncared for in my life. If my prayer life isn't where it needs to be, then I've neglected the talks with God that's going to be needed to polish the rough edges in my life.

Lord help me today to live holy and accepted to you! Help me not to neglect the things in my life that will bring glory and honor to You. Cause me to be polished and ready for Your work today so that someone else may see the fruit of Your Spirit and want to live a life that's holy and beautiful to You.

God Bless you today!

First Day of School Year 2010

2010-08-10T12:35:00.001-05:00

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL YEAR 2010
Blake - 6th grade
Bailey - Freshman

How's Your Sunday Service

2010-08-10T12:25:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting article today about worship among the congregation. This article is written to pastors. Here is the article:

Every pastor wants to raise up a group of people who God considers true worshipers. Jesus defined these people in John 4:23 as those who "worship the Father in spirit and truth." He even added that these are the ones after whom the Father seeks.

• "Worship time" is not a setup for the sermon.
If we're not careful we can develop a dangerous mind-set that believes the praise and worship part of a service functions merely to prepare the congregation for the preaching. Though preparing people for the message can certainly be one benefit of a good "worship time" (and I use that term begrudgingly), it must not be its primary purpose.

A healthy, worshiping congregation recognizes that when members come to worship—both individually and corporately—they are truly entering the presence of God, presenting themselves to the Lord and making their hearts vulnerable to His voice, conviction, healing and guidance. To worship in this way is an end in itself, not simply a means to something else.

• The senior pastor is the senior worship leader.
When we look at spiritual leaders in Scripture—whether it's King David in his palace or Paul in prison—we see that they were unashamed worshipers. A senior pastor must lead not only with words, but also by modeling whole-hearted, unreserved worship. A congregation will follow its pastor. Remember David's example: "David danced before the Lord with all his might ... wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet" (2 Sam. 6:14-15). Ministering to the Lord in worship, with inward fervency and outward demonstration, is one of the most potent expressions of leadership a shepherd can make.

• The worship leader and senior pastor must demonstrate one heart.
These two leaders usually influence a service more than any others. So it's no surprise that the vital relationship between these two servants is a primary target for the enemy. If the pastor is exercising ungodly control or if the worship leader is operating with sinful ambition, the enemy will exploit these weaknesses and wreck havoc in the body.
They must have clear lines of communication and spend time together in prayer. The worship leader should demonstrate an attitude of support for the senior pastor. If he cannot, then he has a responsibility to take a break from ministry until the relationship is restored. Likewise, if the senior pastor has serious concerns about the worship leader's character or behavior, it is the pastor's responsibility to curtail that person's public ministry, no matter how gifted or anointed the worship leader may be.

•The purpose and strategy of the service need to be clear.
It is through prayer, fasting, discussion and the Holy Spirit's leading that a church must determine the core identity and context of a Sunday morning service. This may change from season to season, but it begins with some fundamental questions. For example, a church must ask: Are we a seeker-sensitive church? A renewal church? A family church? An emergent church? A traditional church?

Each of these ideas will express itself differently in a Sunday morning service. If the pastor sees the church heading in one direction but the worship leader has a different vision—all while other congregants see it moving in various other directions—the result will be disastrous. You'll experience Sunday after Sunday of disjointed "stop and start" services.
I am not a big proponent of the seeker-sensitive movement, but if a church decides to be seeker-sensitive, that needs to be clear so expectations are established and up-front. When the leadership resorts to ambiguity because they are afraid of offending or losing people, they dilute the church's message and purpose.

• A "call to worship" brings focus to the worship service.
Distractions diminish our ability to receive from the Lord in a worship service. We come to church tired from a full week, harried after pushing through traffic and trying to find a parking space, and 10 minutes late. We walk into church and presto!—we are supposed to enter the presence of the Lord.

Many worship leaders fail to challenge congregants to be mindful of what they are actually doing in worship. They aren't just going through the motions; they are coming face-to-face with the living God. Rather than abruptly beginning a service, I advocate a "call to worship." Perhaps this could take the form of a hymn, a Scripture verse read corporately, or an exhortation to focus one's heart or to lift one's hands in worship. Whatever shape it takes, we should try to lead others into the presence of God with focused minds and grateful hearts.

• Physical expressions are at the heart of biblical worship.
Here are a few Bible verses that demonstrate this truth (emphasis added):

• "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (Ps. 95:6).

• "Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" (Ps. 47:1).

• "Praise Him with the timbrel and dance" (Ps. 150:4).

• "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord" (Ps. 134:2).

• "I will sing and give praise" (Ps. 57:7).
If we are to worship in spirit and in truth, we must employ spirit, soul and body. People will follow our example.

• A worship service engages in the battle for time. As more things compete for more of our time, the spiritual discipline of "waiting on the Lord" becomes more difficult. But if we fail to model this important practice, how can we expect our congregants to apply this vital habit to their daily devotional lives?

In Pentecostal and charismatic services not too long ago, we had "tarrying" services. During these protracted times of worship souls would soften. People would approach the altar, perhaps with music quietly playing in the background or with the pastor leading in a prayer of repentance, intercession or adoration.

Today almost all Sunday morning services are 90 minutes long to the minute. Most Sunday night services have been cancelled. Does the church have the fortitude to stand up against the demands of culture and fight for time with the Lord? Nothing can replace an uninterrupted, intimate awareness of His presence.

As servants tasked with leading the body of Christ, we must grow in spiritual maturity and in expressions of worship. May we champion His purposes, knowing that our choices will impact not only us, but also our brothers and sister in Christ. And may we live with His priorities at the forefront of our leadership.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert Stearns, founder, executive director of Eagles' Wings Ministries, has ministered in 30 nations. He is the author of Prepare the Way and Keepers of the Flame, and is also an accomplished worship leader, recording artist and speaker. For more information, visit eagleswings.to.

Recognizing the Voice of God

2010-08-02T12:09:00.000-05:00

1 Samuel chapter 3 tells of the calling of a young man named Samuel. Samuel was staying with Eli (the priest) and was awakened by a voice calling out his name. Samuel went to Eli to see what the call was all about. Eli told Samuel to lay back down because he had not been the one to call out his name. After about the third time of Samuel's awakening to the voice of the Lord, Eli recognized what was going on and sent Samuel back to bed, but this time instructed him to call on the name of the Lord for He was the one doing the calling. See, the Bible says that Samuel didn't know the Lord yet - in other words - he had no relationship with the Lord and in having no relationship with Him, he had no knowledge, or recognition of His voice or fellowship with God. Eli, being a priest, practiced having a relationship with God, therefore, had a recognition of the voice of God.

When someone calls you on the phone that you haven't spoken with in quite a while, you may not know or recognize that voice. When your spouse, child, sibling, or best friend calls you on the phone you have no doubt who you are talking to without even asking! That's the way we ought to recognize the voice of God!!!

We have to be able to hear God when He is calling our name. He calls our name when He has a mission for us to do, when He has a plan for our life, when He wants to fellowship with us, when He wants us to be effective in the Harvest for His Kingdom, etc... There are many reason that God calls out our name and we have to be like Eli and recognize the voice of God in order to act upon the calling!

More to come later!

Sin kills

2010-07-19T17:18:00.000-05:00

Ezekiel 18: 4b "...The soul who sins is the one who will die." The bible is very clear on sin. The bible is very clear that we as Christians have to live a life "free of sin". That means that we must refrain from those things that cause us to sin. It's not ROCKET SCIENCE! Why do we make it harder to live a Christian life than it really is? The bible tells me to "give no place to the devil" so this should be a reminder that if I go to a place where there is going to be drinking, smoking, sexual inticements, etc... then I am giving place for the devil to put something into my spirit that causes me to sin. I don't think that we can go to night clubs, sports bars, creek parties, etc... with a S on our shirt and think that we are exempt from being tempted of the devil. The bible is clear that we must live a holy life before the Lord and in the process of living holy we have to make right choices on where we should go and what we do.

We as Christians can't expect God's blessings and gifts to be manifest in our lives if we are continualy giving place to the enemy and living with sin in our lives. We can't be blessed beyond measure with sin in our lives. We can't please God with sin in our lives! I have come to hate sin because it robs us from receiving what is rightfully ours, from receiving the promises of God!

The good news - we have an advocate with the Father!!!! We have a Heavenly Father that is forgiving and that loves us! I'm amazed at how God can forgive us our sins and pick us up and put us back on the right track. It is up to us to stay on the right track and not go back to our old ways. Sin kills - Jesus gives life!

He trains my hands for battle

2010-07-08T15:21:00.000-05:00

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn." Psalm 18: 28-36

Our strength comes from the Lord! In all our battles, let him be our General!

UPDATE

2010-07-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I posted anything (was reminded of this yesterday by someone), so I thought I would post something today to kind of give an update on some things.

The past few weeks have been tremendously busy around the Meadors house. We have had church camp going on, vbs going on, basketball camp going on, baseball allstar going on, more church camp next week, etc... I don't think we have sat down as a family in the living room and watched anything on tv together for at least a month.

Blake and I were at church camp last week in Dickson and we experienced a great move of God! There were over 60 young people baptized on the last night! God is on the move to raising up an army of young people that are going to pass the generations in front of them and lead by example!

Bailey is in camp this week and I'm believing in a great anointing for those that are at camp and may God raise up in them a Spirit of BOLDNESS to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!!!

Our church youth go to church camp next week and I'm praying that God moves in a mighty way and changes lives and grows mighty men and women of God!!!

Well, that's about all the time I have right now - busy, busy, busy! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!!

Spiritual Warfare - Are you ready?

2010-06-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have devine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. - C. S. Lewis

The Lord has been dealing with me this week on Spiritual Warfare. I believe that we are in a battle that most Christians may not be ready for and that disturbs me. So many times we hear people asking questions like, "why did this happen" or "why did that happen" and "I can't seem to get my prayers past the ceiling" or "I just don't feel like ...". We have a battle to fight in the Spiritual realm as Christians and we have the tools to fight with, all we have to do is fight with them!

I will post more about this in a few days, but for now, ask yourself this question: "If God wants me to be the pointman in this Spiritual battle, am I ready?"

Pictures from Senior Camp

2010-06-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Baptizing Service and
Fun Time

VBS - Saddle Ridge Ranch

2010-06-12T23:40:00.001-05:00

Vacation Bible School starts this Sunday night, June 13th at 6pm around here at Kempville Chapel. We have already begun the transformation from a church building to a ranch with the likings of horses, hay, saddles, fences, corrals, etc... I've even seen some boots laying around the place! We are expecting a great time with the cowboys & cowgirls riding around and asking questions about Jesus!

Join us if you can June 13th thru 17th. We begin nightly at 6pm and we should have all the chores done and ready for the cowboys & cowgirls to retire for the night around 8:30.

Camp Hickory Hills

2010-06-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

I will not be posting anything for at least a week from today due to being out of town. I have been asked to participate in Youth Camp for the Church of God of Prophecy this coming week for the Senior (ages 15-17) camp! I am very much excited about this opportunity because I actually grew up going to camp with a lot of the, now, workers of youth camp. Does that mean we are getting old? Anyway, I'm looking forward to harvesting new relationships with young people from all across Tennessee. I can sit right where I am today and think back on my youth camp experiences and relationships that God has cultivated over the years and I believe that those experiences and relationships helped mold me into what I am today. Not that I am anything special, but I know where I've been and what God has brought me through! I thank God for Church Camp and I just want to "return the favor"!

This years theme for the Senior camp is:

Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” The “Basic” principles we need are those of Christ! Do we have these tools, these “Basic” principles, that Christ intends us to have in order to stand against the enemy? Furthermore, do we have the “Basic” principles we need in order to disciple those we are winning to Christ?

Please keep campers & workers in your prayers this week (Sat. - Thur.) that the Holy Spirit will work in our lives and make us the Christians that we ought to be. Pray that we will impact someones life for God this week! God Bless!

Religious Nonsense

2010-06-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

Read this quote the other day and thought that I would share with you. I agree 100%:

"one of the nastiest, most vile spirits to confront is a religious spirit. The person with this spirit will kill you and think they are doing God a favor. Their arrogance is only surpassed by their ignorance. In their blindness, they will only lead others into the ditch with them. "we are saved by grace through faith," Period!
- McKinley

Another thought on those controlled by a religious spirit. To call them antagonist would be an understatement. Because they are not comfortable with who they are, they are not happy until they make everyone around them miserable. Controlling and manipulative, they pick "religious" fights, and then when destruction comes and innocent people are hurt, they climb back up on their "high horse," and ride off.
-McKinley

Memorial Day Thank you

2010-05-31T21:29:00.000-05:00

Man what a long day! We celebrated Memorial Day with both sides of our family today and absolutely ate too much (almost to the point of sinning).

I wanted to say a special Thank You to our Veterans that served for our freedom and also a special Thank You to all of the men and women that are presently serving for our freedom. Freedom didn't come free, it comes because of you!

Memorial Day

2010-05-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

I want to take this opportunity and express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the Veterans that lost their lives, to all the Veterans that are still with us today, and all the men and women that are still on the battle field and training field's or other locations that serve for my freedom and the freedom of our country! I have a cousin presently serving and have some other family members that have served as well. To you I say THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU!

Let's pause this Memorial Day weekend and celebrate our men and women of the armed forces that have sacrificed for us!

Nourishment & Refreshment

2010-05-28T08:21:00.000-05:00

"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." Mark 6: 30-32 (niv)

As I was reading this passage of scripture this morning, I noticed that before the event of feeding the five thousand could happen, Jesus encouraged the disciples to get some much needed rest and nourishment. They had a physically demanding responsibility lying ahead of them and with all that they had already done, they were not in "shape" to press on. So, they went with Jesus, to a solitary place. They had a job at hand, but needed some quiet time, in a quiet place where they could have fellowship and be nourished and refreshed!

How are we when it comes to being nourished and refreshed? I take this passage this morning and call it to be for me, as to my needing to be refreshed in Spirit, to get alone with God and allow Him to nourish me and feed me! Webster's dictionary defines nourish as - to provide with food or other nutriment necessary for life and growth; to foster the development of; to keep alive: maintain.

It is of great importance, that I allow God to nourish me for the necessity of life and growth in this Christian walk. Life eternal and growth in the Spirit. We must allow God to foster the development of our Christian lives with some "solitary place time." We must allow ourselves and put ourselves in a position to be maintained through the power of the Holy Spirit for the nourishment of the power of God. We have a physically and Spiritually demanding responsibility before us to live our lives as vessels for the Kingdom of God and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Are you getting the refreshing nourishment that you need to do your part?

Middle School Graduation

2010-05-25T15:20:00.000-05:00

My little girl is growing up! Bailey graduated top of her 8th grade class! We are so very proud of her and was very proud that she gave credit and thanks to God for her achievements in school during her address to the class of 2010. I've prayed for God to have "favor" over my children and this is just an example of God's goodness. NOW I HAVE TO PRAY HARDER - SHE WILL BE A FRESHMAN NEXT YEAR!

Mindful of Him

2010-05-25T08:38:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been talking with someone about Salvation and they make a comment like this one, "I can't seem to forget all the things that I've done wrong" or "I feel in my heart that something has changed, but in my mind I can't seem to forgive myself." As I was reading the first chapter of Colossians this morning, I was drawn to verses 21 & 22 "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - "

Paul says that we have the assurance, through Jesus Christ, that we are NO LONGER ALIENATED from God. When I look at the word, alienated, I automatically think of "outerspace", "the far-side", "a great distance away", etc... Once we WERE, as sinners, a long way from God and distanced from God, but through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection of His body, we have been made "heirs" with Christ and have the presence of God IN US!

I think a lot of Christians today fight the "battle of the mind" and allow the devil to trick them into believing that they are not forgiven. The battle of Salvation has already been won through Jesus, all we have to do is believe that He was and IS and is to come! I preached Sunday morning on Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Whatever circumstance you may be going through today, Jesus is the WAY. Don't let your "mind" tell you any different. A lot of the times we let the struggle in our minds dictate our lives, but the bible says that we are to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God in spiritual acts of worship and to not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by renewing our minds" (Romans 12: 1,2). We can win the battle in our minds by letting God transform us from the inside - out! I have come to know that when I am "mindful" of God's ways, my struggle with temptation, bad attitude, fleshly motives, etc... decrease because I believe what Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" Ephesians 4: 22-24)

Let's strive to have the "mind of Christ" each day and to live a life that is pleasing to God. Remember, that Jesus paid our sin debt and all we have to do is receive and accept. Our minds may remember "the evil behavior" but God has forgotten our sins and given us a renewed life in Him! May God Bless you today!

Change in Existence

2010-05-19T20:47:00.002-05:00

It's amazing to me that when a change is made in like say, changing teachers, change of curriculum, the use of new technology to benefit in and help enhance the way we teach and learn, etc... or just make a change in general, that you find some people actually make a "CHANGE IN EXISTENCE" ... GO FIGURE!

We've got to keep up with the times as we keep the SAME MESSAGE!

Shall NOT Perish

2010-05-19T11:25:00.000-05:00

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (niv)

On Wednesday nights for the past 5 weeks we have been going through Max Lucado's book "3:16 The Numbers of Hope" and we have been looking at how our hearts and minds have been distorted from a worldly view of things and how God has given us a remedy for our "aldulterated" hearts, the giving of His one and only Son, Jesus.

One of this weeks devotions from the series is "Shall ... Perish". I want to share a little of that devotion with you today and let you know that we need to be a witness of Christ because there is a lost and dying world to be won for Christ. Max says this:

"The hero of heaven is God. Angels don't worship mansions or glittering avenues. Neither gates nor jewels prompt the hosts to sing...God does. His majesty stirs the pen of heaven's poets and the awe of her citizens. Inhabitants of heaven forever marvel at the sins God forgives, the promises He keeps, the plan He executes. He, at this very moment, issues invitations by the millions. He whispers through the kindness of a grandparent, shouts through the tempest of a tsunami. Through the funeral He cautions, "Life is fragile." Through a sickness He reminds, "Days are numbered." God may speak through nature or nurture, majesty or mishap. But through all and to all He invites, "Come, enjoy Me forever."

Revelation 22:17 says, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."

It's our job as Christians, to seek out those that are lost and tell them of this free gift, Jesus Christ! Will you be a witness today? Will you heed the call of discipleship? Life is fragile, let's show people how to live life with a life of abundance in Jesus! God bless you today.

In the way

2010-05-18T21:07:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning the Lord allowed me to share the passage of scripture in 1 Kings about the account of Ahab, Elijah, and a man by the name of Obadiah. This is a very familar passage of scripture and I have preached from this text before, but the Holy Spirit lead me in a different direction this time. You see, this is the account of Ahab and Obadiah splitting up and going separate ways to look for a water source and grass that would nourish the herd and people because there was a great famine in the land. The land had been without rain for a period of about 3 years and God has now told Elijah to "Go present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the land" (I Kings 17:1).

When Ahab and Obadiah split up to go their separate ways, the bible says in vs. 7 "and Obadiah was in the way..." The Lord spoke to me about people of God sometimes are "in the way" of what God has purposed, ordained, laid out, planned for man and the church. This spoke very stern to our hearts and began to show us that sometimes we may be in the way of what God has shown the "man of God" that is supposed to be leading us. Now I know this scripture is referring to Obadiah being in the path, or on the same physical location as Elijah, but let's suppose that Obadiah did actually get in the way of God's plan and that plan was that Elijah meet up with Ahab (which was serving Baal, a false god) and show him that God Almighty is real! This happened with an incident in front of 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18: 16-40) Let's suppose that Obadiah refused to tell Ahab that Elijah was looking for him, Ahab and 450 prophets of Baal might have not turned their hearts to God (vs. 37).

I often wonder if I allow my own stupidity, my own fleshly thoughts, my doubt, etc... interfere with what God has planned for my life and the life of others around me. I wonder if I find myself "in the way". It's my prayer today that we seek God's face and allow him to teach us His ways and to learn how to trust in the "men of God" that He has called to do His work!

Blake catches Braves game

2010-05-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

My 11 year old son did something yesterday that he has never done before. First, he went to Atlanta to catch a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Diamondbacks. That was a first for him ( a major league baseball game). Second, he went without me or my wife! In all of his 11 years on this earth he has never even wanted to travel anywhere without, at least, his moma!

He was asked to go see the Braves by a buddy of his that plays on his baseball team, so Blake, Brhett, Brhett's dad and pop went to Atlanta for an all day trip. They arrived back home this morning around 1:15am. Needless to say, his mom was up until the phone call to go pick him up (so was I). I think my little boy is trying to grow up.

(Blake's on the left)

Worship

2010-05-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts this week it just seems like I have so much to do that I have neglected the blog ministry and that's what I feel this is. If I can lighten the load of someone that's had a bad day and they decide to log on and read some of my thoughts (how wierd is that) and it lifts their spirit for just a moment then it's been worth the time. That's why I want to be lead by the Holy Spirit in anything that I do because He knows the thoughts and the plans for all and He knows the words and the times they need to be spoken.

I'm excited about what I feel in the air in these days to come. I sense a moving of the Holy Ghost across this land and I want to be a ready and willing vessel that can be used to reach someone for the Gospel of Christ! I was reading for my devotion this morning the passage of David's writtings in Psalm 145. David said, "I will exalt you, my God the King. I will praise your name for ever and ever. Everyday I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." (vss. 1- 3 niv) The NKJV says that "His greatness is unsearchable" (vs 3) that means that God's greatness is beyond our understanding! We aint got it all together yet! I know that isn't proper english but it's whats in my spirit, we aint got it all together and we need to do what David did and learn how to praise the Lord daily - for ever and ever and then we will learn how to "humble ourselves" and seek God's face and He will teach us new and great things!!!!

I had a meeting with a couple of people yesterday that I feel has a ministry for the Lord through the talents the Lord has given them and I'm excited about working alongside them and putting them in a position to let the Lord not only work in their lives but also be a blessing to others through what they have to offer for the Kingdom of God. Paul said that "we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 2:15) Whether people accept God's salvation and live or they refuse it and perish, we have to be a fragrance of Christ to God and to all that we come in contact with. We as children of God, need to learn how to get wrapped up in worship! We need to learn how to put things aside - bills, jobs, relationships, sickness, family, etc... and allow God's Holy Spirit to transform us into the people of God that He has intended for us to be! We need to WORSHIP GOD with our daily living and in the sanctuary!

When we stop looking on the outside appearance of man and begin to see the heart of God in them, then WE can be transformed ourselves. So what if someone leading worship has a few tatoos on their skin and their hair is long and maybe they have a few piercings! Who are we to judge? We are not God!!!! We are to worship the God that created all of us to be unique in our own ways and for the glory of God to be shown in our lives!

National Day of Prayer

2010-05-06T11:44:00.004-05:00

Today we are called to spend some time in prayer for our Nation.

Whether a judge somewhere has called this to be "unconstitutional" or not, the Bible has called us to do this no matter what!

As Christians, we are to fall on our knees, not just because this is a day set aside for prayer, but because it's OUR calling from an Almighty God. He hears the prayers of His children and we are to call upon His name, today, for our Nation and it's leadership!

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

I encourage you to participate in prayer for our Nation. Pray in your car, home, at work, at an organized prayer meeting or wherever you need to go to pray. Just pray!

Choice - it's yours

2010-05-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

"Many jokes are made about the devil, but the devil is no joke. He is called a deceiver. In order to accomplish his purpose, the devil BLINDS people to their need for CHRIST. Two forces are at work in our world - the forces of Christ and the forces of the devil - and you are asked to choose."
- Billy Graham

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."
Matthew 6:33 Holman CSB

Let's face the facts: your life is a series of choices. From the instant you wake up in the morning until the moment you nod off to sleep at night, you make countless decisions - decisions about the things you do, decisions about the words you speak, and decisions about the way that you choose to direct your thoughts. As a believer who has been transformed by the love of Jesus, you have every reason to make wise choices. But sometimes, when the daily grind threatens to grind you up and spit you out, you may make choices that are displeasing to God. When you do, you'll pay a price because you'll forfeit the happiness and the peace that might otherwise have been yours.

Consider the kind of Christian you are - and the kind of Christian you want to become - and ask yourself whether you're sitting on the fence or standing in the light. The choice is yours ... and so are the consequences.

2010-05-04T09:59:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all that braved the water Sunday evening and came to take care of the water.

The Power Team

2010-04-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

You have the first scoop on the news that the Power Team is coming to Smith County! That's right, Todd Keene and the Power Team are coming for a crusade event for the Smith County Ministerial Alliance. The dates are August 4th - 8th @ 7pm nightly at the Smith County Ag Center. If you've never heard of or even seen these guys you are in for an amazing show of strength and ability to overcome several obsticles such as crushing piles of concrete slabs, blocks of ice, bend iron bars, breaking wooden baseball bats, ripping phone books in half, etc... But the greatest of all is the message that these men bring - the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!!

Check these guys out at: http://www.thepowerteam.com/

More to come as the event gets closer!

Contagious

2010-04-28T11:36:00.001-05:00

WOW! I wonder if I cause someone else to have a rotten attitude or a healthy attitude?

Check this out:
http://withoutwax.tv/2010/04/28/its-contagious/

Training Wheels

2010-04-26T13:22:00.001-05:00

Let go and let God.

I was driving down the road this morning on my way to Gallatin Hospital to visit a person and the Lord spoke those words into my spirit. "Let go and let God." Sometimes we get a "message" from the Lord, and as in my case, I try to decipher if it's for me or for a message that's coming up in the near future or what?

As I was driving I thought about when I was teaching Bailey how to ride her bicycle "without" training-wheels. I remember holding onto the seat and telling her to keep her balance and keep the handlebars steady and focus on what was in front of her and that at some point I would be letting her go so she could "ride" the bike all by herself. But for her to do all of that and to really TRUST in me letting her go, she had to TRUST in the fact when I let her go, I would be right there beside her running alongside of her to catch her when she started to fall or get all swervy (if that's a word).

Whether those words came to me for my sake or for a message down the road, I believe it will preach. Sometimes, no let me rephrase that, ALL the time we need to TRUST GOD and realize that He wants us to "ride without the training wheels" and that we can STILL trust that he will be there to catch us and steady us.

To be continued ...

Spiritual Wheaties

2010-04-23T13:17:00.000-05:00

When I read this post on perrynoble.com it was like eating my "Spiritual Wheaties"!!!!

Makes me PUMPED also!!

Read it: http://www.perrynoble.com/2010/04/22/stop-expecting-excitement-to-happen-create-it/

God's Clock

2010-04-23T11:38:00.002-05:00

"His sovereign rule lasts and lasts, his kingdom never declines and falls. Life on this earth doesn't add up to much, but God's heavenly army keeps everything going. No one can interrupt his work, no one can call his rule into question ... Everything he does is right, and he does it the right way. He knows how to turn a proud person into a humble man or woman." Daniel 4: 35,37 (MSG)

In my devotion this morning I was reading the account of King Nebuchadnezzar and how he became prideful and deceited in all his ways when that he should have been giving glory to God for all that had prospered him to the position that he was in. I often wonder if we get ahead of God and decide that we got to where we are by being deligent "in works" and forget that we even breath because of the mercy of an Almighty God.

God turned Neb from a person of influence with a great following and an established reign to a grass eating, long haired, fingernail fungus infested, animal minded nothing.

The bible says that "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18) Neb got pridefull and it caused him to be brought down for seven years eating and living among the beast of the field, literally.

I was visited by someone this week, sent from the Lord, and the reason the Lord sent them was to remind me that He is the "King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." (Daniel 4: 37 KJV) I don't want to lose the anointing that God has put on me because of some prideful attitude that has slipped in because of some scheme of the devil. I want to be fully aware of the strength that is within me and that strength is the power of the Holy Ghost! No man will shut me down!

Sometimes we need a wake up call! God is setting the clock!

Men of Integrity, part 2

2010-04-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

As noted in the previous post, I was privileged to attend a men's retreat this past weekend in Dickson, Tn. I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of the event.

We were blessed to receive one of the finest steak meals that you could possibly have. The cooking ministry of Empowered Ministries went beyond the normal links to satisfy the appetites of a bunch of hungry men. After the meal we gathered in the chapel for some worship that was lead by a group of men that are from the "Celebrate Recovery" ministry. These men lead us in worship at the beginning of each session. It's good to know that God is still in the "recovery" business. I think AA, and the like, is good, but let Jesus and the Holy Spirit loose in their lives and He makes worship leaders out of them. God is awesome!

Friday nights session gave us Chaplain J.B. Smith, from the The Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. He preached to us about having the "right stuff"! About having "Personal Integrity". God used this man of God to convict a room full of men about having what it takes to have the right relationship with God, your spouse, and others. He spoke about having the right principles, soundness of moral character, honesty being the best policy, and shared with us this message: Integrity depends on our relationship with God. We must be identified with Christ!

Saturday morning came early, 6am breakfast! The next session was worth getting up early! Pastor Jamie Allen from the Oak Grove Church in Charlotte, Tn. ministered to us in the 2nd session of the event, and man was he used by the Holy Spirit to break a bunch of men! He spoke about being a "Husband and Father of Integrity". Jamie's message was full of scripture and conviction. He shared with us his own personal testamony about an event that happened in his life and through the love and prayers of some friends in his local congregation, God saw him through. His message was: Don't play with fire! At the end of this session there was men kneeling at the altar and at their seats and all around the room in prayer and repentance.

The finale of the event came from Bishop E.C. McKinley, TN Presbyter, COGOP. Bro. McKinley presented a top knotch message with media clips from "We were soldiers" that spoke to us about "Leadership Integrity". Integrity is WHO you are. Character is HOW you live. Character is also how you live out your integrity. Maturity is learning WHAT is important in life. Integrity tells us that preparation is important in everything that we do. Integrity tells us that we must lead by example. We must take integrity personal. (And this is just the highlights).

Through these three men of God, I have realized that in my own life, I must make every effort to have this most important quality: Integrity. "God, give every man the integrity that he needs to win the lost, to sustain his family, and to reach the goal."

Men of Integrity

2010-04-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Just a short comment for now on this past weekends COGOP men's retreat:

J.B. - You started the ball rolling with ministering what God had put on you for OUR CONVICTION!

Jamie Allen - YOU TOTALLY ALLOWED GOD TO USE YOU TO POUR INTO A ROOM FULL OF MEN THAT NEEDED TO HEAR THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR OWN LIVES BY TELLING YOUR STORY! Through your message the Holy Spirit totally broke me!

Bishop McKinley - Top knotch! Fantastic message on integrity in leadership. CHALLENGING PRESENTATION! SEPARATED THE MEN (OF GOD) FROM THE BOYS!

To Be Continued...

2010-04-16T13:52:00.001-05:00

Prayer Request

Pray for Cortes Sadler, Sister Imo Dixon's brother. He suffered a heart attack and is recovering in the hospital.

Marriage: STILL more to learn

2010-04-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

I follow Pastor Noble's blog because I like the way that he just comes out and says what is on his mind (and everyone else's). I think we all would be better people and get along better if we would quit trying to "keep from hurting feelings". Here is part two of Pastor Noble's post about marriage:

Things I’ve Learned About Marriage In Ten Years–

Here are lessons 6-10 following up with yesterday’s post…

#6 – The Purpose Of Conflict Is To SETTLE The Argument…Not Win It!
Lucretia called me out on this one night when I was getting my rear end whipped during a disagreement we were having. So…in a desperate move I began to change the subject, to bring up things that had NOTHING to do with what we were discussing. I was doing it to try to get out of the hole I had dug for myself…and then she said she felt like I was trying to win instead of really caring about settling the conflict. BUSTED! Staying focused on an issue and trying to settle THAT issue isn’t just a good idea for marriage…it’s essential!

#7 – Don’t Ever Go To Bed Mad At One Another!
Unresolved conflict will KILL a marriage! (See Ephesians 4:25-26!) AND…it gives the enemy a foothold so that he can then climb all over a couple. There is NEVER a good reason for two people who love Jesus and love one another to not deal with an issue that is stealing intimacy away from that couple.

#8 – You Cannot Hold Your Spouse Accountable For Unspoken, Unrealistic Expectations!
Like it or not…your spouse cannot read your mind–period!

#9 – Intimacy Is Not Limited To A Sexual Experience!
AND…if you think it is then there is probably ZERO intimacy in your marriage. AND…you CAN have sex without having intimacy. BUT (guys…read this please) you can’t have intimacy without having sex!!! When a couple (specifically the man) will focus on creating a romantic environment rather than just getting her in bed, thus making her feel valuable, romantic and pursued…well…then…uh…DANG!

#10 – It Takes Work To Make It Work!
I hear couples say from time to time, “But Pastor P…marriage is SO HARD!” My response is always, “duh…and water’s SOOOO wet!” Yes it’s hard…if it were easy then 50% of all marriages would not be ending in divorce!!! If we want the most OUT of marriage then we’ve got to be willing to work IN the marriage and ON the marriage! EVERY couple that I know that has a successful marriage did not achieve that success by accident…it took intentional, focused and unselfish WORK to make it happen!!!

BTW…let me say this because my wife DOES read my blog. I said that I have learned these 10 lessons…BUT let me be VERY clear that I have NOT mastered them!!! I’m a work in progress…and am so thankful that I am married to a woman who understands that!

Marriage: more to learn

2010-04-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

This past March 2nd my wife and I celebrated 19 years of marriage! I believe that I have a previous post about that event but I read today a post from one of the blogs that I follow and I want to share that post with you today as well. No matter how long or newly wed you and your spouse are these comments from Perry Noble could come in handy:

Things I’ve Learned About Marriage In Ten Years…

Last week my amazing wife and I celebrated 10 years of marriage…and during that time I’ve learned A LOT! (AND still have SO MUCH more to learn!) Here are a few things…

#1 – Never “Talk Yourself Into Marrying A Person!” You had better KNOW!

When it came to marrying Lucretia it wasn’t something that I had to convince myself was the right thing to do…I knew she was the one for me. (And she would say the same thing!) If you go into the marriage with serious doubts then you will be tempted to sprint out of it at the first sign of trouble (and trouble WILL find you!) If you are trying to convince yourself that he/she is “right” for you then you may be on VERY dangerous ground! I know God has called me into this marriage and will fill me with the strength to sustain it…even during the tough times! (Philippians 1:6)

#2 – Marriage Is Not About What You Can Get…It’s About What You Can Give!

When a person enters marriage with a list of expectations that they want the other person to meet then there are going to be “issues!” We’ve got to view marriage NOT as an opportunity to be served…but rather to serve. Just think…how awesome would marriages be if each person did all that they could to try and outserve the other person!

#3 – To Expect Another Person To Meet All Of Your Needs Is Incredibly Selfish!

I HATE IT when a couple is having problems and I begin talking with them and then one person says, “Well…they just aren’t meeting my needs!” First of all…another person will NEVER meet all of our needs…EVER! And…second of all, the person who is usually doing the complaining probably doesn’t have a halo on…in other words, they probably aren’t “meeting the needs” of the other person! Many marriages fall apart not because of “irreconcilable differences” but rather unrepentant, selfish people!

#4 – Have Fun Together!

When couples date they have fun…when they get married it seems there is a sprint to become as “normal” as possible as soon as possible. Guess what–normal sucks! The LAST thing I want to be is a “normal married couple!”

#5 – “Quality Time” Does Not Mean “Let’s Have A Conversation During The Commercials!”

OUCH…this one has taken me longer to learn that I would like to admit. Unfortunately…men LOVE to get home and turn on the television, even if they aren’t watching it…we just are addicted to noise. AND…trying to talk to her AND watch it ISN’T romantic in her book (and “her book” is the ONLY one that should matter!) If a couple does not carve out intentional time for communication…it WON’T happen. This means there needs to be a lot less tv/twitter/facebook in a lot of peoples lives!

Keep Praying

2010-04-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm back! Have you ever experienced not doing something for awhile and when you try to start doing it again it seems like you can't get the hang of it. That's how it seems to me right now as to getting back in the blogging mode. It seems that there is just so much going on that it seems to be no time to do anything. I did enjoy my mini-vacation with my dad as we joined 16 other men in Alabama for a few rounds of golf, which is another avenue that I find myself trying to get the hang of having not playing golf in a year! We had wonderful weather such as we are having this week and a good time chasing our golf balls all over the course. One guy said that we were playing "military golf" - right left, right left because we'd hit it right one time and then left the other. Oh well, I hear my dad say a lot, "a bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work."

This past Sunday morning at Kempville Chapel was a special one. We had a normal service and had already scheduled for a lady to be baptized at the end of the service and that we did. After we had already dismissed the service and people began to make their way home, there was a gentleman by the name of Mark Jones approach me and asked me if he could talk to me for a minute. For those that don't know "Trooper Mark Jones" of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, he along with his wife and three daughters (and one on the way), have attended our church for as long as I have been pastor and I'm sure they attended before I came. Mark had asked me over a year ago now to go jogging with him one day. The first time that he asked me to go I had an excuse as to why I couldn't go (had the kids at home and Kelly was at work and couldn't leave). The second time that he called and said that he was going running and asked me to go I had to go! As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the Lord put it in my spirit that if someone ask you to go a mile with them you go two! Well, as it turned out, we went more than two! It almost killed me! I'm not in any shape to run two feet let alone two miles! That day Mark and I had a good conversation as we ran and walked down the road about his upbringing and my upbringing and what he has been taught and what I have been taught about Jesus and Salvation and about life. You know it really doesn't matter what "church" you are brought up in as long as there is one common denominator, and that is Jesus and what he did and is to us! That's all that matters because if we turn everything over to Him, He will work all the details out just like He wants them!

For those that don't know, there have been a lot of prayers prayed for Mark Jones to be saved! Prayers from his wife, his in-laws, his church, etc... This past Sunday morning all those prayers was answered and Mark was baptized as well! God is still in the prayer answering business with his Saving Grace! I'm thankful that God answers prayers and I want to encourage you today to keep praying for those in your family that are lost. When you feel like there is no hope and that someone may have gone too far just remember how far Jesus went to Save those that you are praying for. God is an "on time" God!

2010-04-06T20:58:00.001-05:00

Golf Links

Taking a break this week from posting anything.. I'm in Alabama with my dad and 18 other men playing several rounds of golf. Will return tomorrow.

Amazing Video

2010-03-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

My dad sent me an email about a guy named Butch Lumpkin that is just amazing. If you feel like you are nothing or from time to time you get down in the dumps, watch this video: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-videos/meet-butch-lumpkin-9477/?ref=26000

Walk and not faint

2010-03-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

As I walked back into the sanctuary after getting a drink of water before the 11am service started, I knew in my Spirit that we were in for something special when our song leader began to weep and thank the Lord for changing the song service after only singing one song already. I began to notice that God was wanting to move in a mighty way in the service and that God was beginning with our song leader as he began to obey the voice of God. I began to since the presence of God and Him moving among others in the congregation and I began to praise and to worship God and to pray for all those in attendence to be open and "willing to obey". God is looking for willing vessels that He can fill with His Spirit so that we can be ministers one to another.

I'm proud of my song leader for allowing God to use him as a vessel yesterday because I believe that he was the key that started a domino effect, if you will, and we had a tremendous service. As the Lord continued to move, I began to seek the Lord for direction as to preaching or just waiting upon Him to see what was about to happen. I was immediately lead to read the passage of scripture in Isaiah 40: 28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (NIV). Verse 31 in the KJV reads like this: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." The word renew in this scripture means change, so in other words, if we wait upon the Lord we will be changed!

Needless to say, the Holy Ghost did the preaching yesterday morning and we were filled with His presence. We had individuals on the altar, we had individuals walking the isles, we had individuals giving testimony's, we had individuals spontaneously singing songs of praise and hymns of old. It's amazing to be in a service when people get rid of the flesh and allow themselves to "wait upon the Lord and be changed in strength of the Spirit." I think it was a great way to kick off "Passion Week" and I trust that we will continue to be blessed as we "walk and not faint"! Be blessed today!

Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T06:09:00.000-05:00

"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth." Zechariah 9: 9,10

Let us shout and cheer, raise the roof today for this celebration of the coming of our Salvation! He is a good King who makes all things right, a humble King riding a donkey, a mere colt of a donkey (the beast of burden). He came to give us Life, Peace, and Salvation! Celebrate Him today on this Palm Sunday! Let's cry out to Him today, "Hosanna", which means bring Salvation! Hosanna to the King of Kings!!!!!

Wide-eyed or Squinty-eyed

2010-03-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness." Luke 11: 33, 34

Eugene Peterson puts this scripture like this in the Message Bible, he says, "No one lights a lamp, and puts it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank (uncomfortably damp) cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."

Are you living wide-eyed in wonder and belief or are you living squinty-eyed in greed and distrust? I got up this morning and determined within myself to be all that I can be for the Lord and to put on the armor of God and to be a blessing to someone and to let the light of the Lord shine. I believe that we need to be wide-eyed in our walk with Jesus and to expect to have an experience with God every moment of the day. On the flip side of that, if I had awaken this morning and let the enemy distract me with the things of the world and fill my "eye" with darkness, there would be no way that my light would be able to "stand". I think some of us from time to time find ourselves in those dank cellars because we forget that we have a "strong stand" that will hold the light that is within us. That "strong stand" is Jesus!

Be blessed today and let your lamp shine today and to show the way for those that are living in darkness and don't allow the things of this world to shadow the light that is living in you! Firmly stand for Him!

The Uninvited Guest

2010-03-22T10:44:00.001-05:00

"...I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet." Luke 7: 44-46

Last night I shared with the congregation on a thought of "The Uninvited Guest". We see in this passage of scripture that a man, a Pharisee, has invited Jesus into his house for dinner and that as they were sitting and eating a woman came in and began to weep at the feet of Jesus and to wipe her tears off his feet with her hair and then she began to anoint Jesus with perfume. We need to see the two different attitudes that the Pharisee and the woman took upon Jesus.

When we don't see Jesus for who He is, we miss a blessing. There is a quote from Benjamin Whichote that says, "None are so empty as those who are full of themselves." Simon, the Pharisee, was confident of his righteousness; he did not need Jesus, but in Simon's mind, Jesus needed him to help advance His career. Simon did not see his own depravity. By the way, our sin looks so small and insignificant in comparison to the sin of others. Simon's self-righteousness colored his view of the woman, the uninvited guest. Simon saw this woman as one who was not worthy to touch the feet of a great teacher. She was a sinner, likely a prostitute, and Simon felt she was beyond the reach of God's grace. Simon saw Jesus as one who held the sinful at bay if not in utter contempt. He missed grace as it stood in his own home.

When we see Jesus for who He is, we win a victory. The woman had a completely different perspective. She entered Simon's house with tears. Her tears brimmed from a humble recognition of her own sin. While Simon thought Jesus needed him, the woman recognized she needed Jesus! While Simon was consumed with appearances, the woman was oblivious to her surroundings. She didn't care about the crowd; she wanted to experience salvation. Finally, the woman had an accurate view of the Savior. She recognized, or at least she hoped Jesus was merciful. She hoped Jesus would release her from the guilt of sin and offer grace.

Simon saw a teacher who needed a hand; the woman saw a Savior extending a hand. Jesus is there for us when we need a hand. I don't ever want to get to the point that I think God needs me, I have to continuously remind myself that I need God just like this woman did. She needed to be in the presence of Jesus and so do we! Let's not treat Jesus as an uninvited guest, as did this Pharisee to the woman.
(some excerpts from Preaching Magazine)

Stones vs Pebbles

2010-03-19T11:06:00.001-05:00

"...If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7

These are awesome, strict words from Jesus to the Pharisees that brought before him an adulterous woman. The scripture says that they made her stand before the group of people that Jesus was teaching and they made accusations, no, they had actually caught her in the act of adultery, and by Moses' law, they said, she is to be stoned. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: wonder why they didn't bring the other MAN involved? All along this was to try to trip Jesus up in his teachings. I like the manner in which Jesus addressed the Pharisees and the woman. The bible says that Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger (v 6), then spoke the words that you see at the beginning of this paragraph. Jesus is not a man that would put himself above anyone else and degrade them. He proved this on the cross of calvary!

As you go on and read "the rest of the story" you find that there was no one that could throw a stone in the direction of this adulterous woman because of the sin that was prevalent in their own lives. After everyone had left Jesus and the woman alone, Jesus looked at the woman and asked her where the ones that had condemned her went? Jesus said to her "I don't condemn you either" and told her to go and leave her life of sin. Jesus saved this woman from being stoned by showing the others that they had "sins - stones, if you will" in their own lives.

How many of us have "stones" in our lives and we often just try to shrug them off to be "pebbles". If you stack enough pebbles on the ground they will become a great mound of stones. Jesus came to clear those pebbles away and to give us victory over our sins. When we see someone fall to temptation and seem to be living a life of treachery, we are not to bring them before the crowds to stand them up and be stoned, we are to do what Jesus did and show them compassion and love. Afterall, the bible talks about removing the plank in our eyes before we can worry about the toothpick in someone else's.

Let's be on guard everyday to remove the "peebles" in our lives through prayer, reading the Word, and walking in the presence of God. I for one don't want to have a stone wall built up between me and God! Be blessed today and if you need to do some "excavating"in your life, Jesus is writing in the sand for you!

LOL

2010-03-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Well if you have a teenager of your own, or for that matter, around you at any time with a phone and has texting abilities you may know what the initials "LOL" mean, or, you may have seen those initials and not really know what they mean. Either way, when you see those initials, lol, in a text it is short for, laughing out loud (it may have other meanings but atleast that's what my daughter told me). Why can't they just stick with "ha, ha" or something like that?

I'm not posting about laughing out loud today. I'm posting about another "lol" - labor of love. First Thessalonians 1:3 says, "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ..." I shared this scripture this past Sunday night in our service and I spoke about the three characteristics that is found in this scripture that we ought to follow as a "Kingdom Church". You see Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus was addressing the Thessalonians and told them they were thankful of the faith, love and hope they were sharing and experiencing in their lives. I shared with our congregation that we ought to take this example and when people remember us "as a church" or think of us "as a church" they ought to take thought of these three characteristics as well, work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope.

I may post later on about the other two characteristics but for today, lol is on my mind (labor of love). Love is where it all starts. If we are going to be the Kingdom Church that God is wanting us to be, we have to love people just as Jesus did when he came to show us the Father. Jesus didn't have any restrictions when it came to loving people. He loved the good as well as the bad. He loved the adultress as well as the children. He loved the ones that crucified him as well as those that opposed it. I like the NIV version of this scripture, it says, "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." We don't serve or labor for any other reason than love. That's why Jesus went to the cross - his love for us! Our labor for Christ, whatever that is in your life, should be prompted by our love for Jesus, which gives us a love for others and we can only have that love for others if we are continually abiding in Christ!

Have you lol'd lately? What have you done for the cause of the Kingdom lately? Do you love others like you should? Have you done something for someone with "no strings attached" lately? We all need to have a spirit of lol about us because it shows that God is present in our lives. God is love! What prompts you to labor?Remember what First Corinthians 13: 13 says, "...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." LOL today!

Spring Forward

2010-03-13T16:47:00.000-06:00

Daylight Saving Time falls on Sunday, March 14, at 2:00 AM (That's tomorrow morning). Don't forget to move your clocks forward one hour before you to bed or you will be late for Sunday School!

Update on Debra McKinley

2010-03-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

I just spoke with Bishop McKinley by phone and he said Debra is now at home resting. She is bruised and sore but she is ok. Thank you for your prayers!

LM

Prayer Request

2010-03-12T13:31:00.002-06:00

I just received word that Debra McKinley, Bishop E.C. McKinley's wife, has been involved in a serious car accident this morning and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Please pray for her and for those involved.

Pastor Meadors

In His Presence

2010-03-12T10:07:00.000-06:00

Everyday this week I've gotten up before the wife and kids and spent time in the living room beside the window with my bible and a cup of coffee (good combination). The reason I'm sharing this with you is because I've gotten away from my personal morning devotion (only human!) and have only been relying on my studies for sermons to be my "personal devotion". It's not supposed to work that way! We have to have a time of personal reflection, of personal commitment, of personal time in His presence with our own individual lives in order to find the graces and mercy of God. We often forget what it means to have a "personal relationship" with Jesus.

Oswald Chambers said, "Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless, in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day. But, swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God." I like the first sentence in this comment, get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. I think there is a lot of truth to that because when we get into a habit about something, it becomes who and what we are and we need to become people that walk in the presence of God with everything about us.

Let me share with you a devotion from Once a Day Every Day that lines up with this:
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10

If God is everywhere, why does He sometimes seem so far away? The answer to the question, of course, has nothing to do with God and everything to do with us. When we begin each day on our knees, in praise and worship to Him, God often seems very near indeed. But, if we ignore God's presence or rebel against it, the world in which we live becomes a spiritual wasteland. Today, and every day, thank God and praise Him. He is the Giver of all things good. Wherever you are, whether you are happy or sad, victorious or vanquished, celebrate God's presence. And be comforted, for He is here.

Practice being in His presence in your life today!

Why Bother?

2010-03-11T10:42:00.001-06:00

Do you ever get up in the morning and ask the question, "Why bother?" Maybe you had a bad day and when you get home, still nothing goes right and you ask, "Why bother?" You seem to be doing the same old thing time after time and it seems like you're not getting ahead and you ask, "Why bother?" Things are piling up and it seems like there is no end to the circumstance you are faced with and you ask "Why bother?" Why bother when it seems that you are the only one trying to do things right and it seems that you are all alone in your efforts?

My mom will have a hay-day with this post because she is always trying to "read my mind" with what I am writing! I just felt impressed to write this way this morning!

"Why bother" seems to be a phrase that many people use and often ask themselves, and sometimes others, when the rough get going or just maybe because it's a real question! I'm reminded about a passage of scripture found in Matthew chapter 14 when there were gathered around Jesus a great many people just sitting and listening to the teachings of Jesus and the disciples came up to Jesus some time later and told him that the distance the people had to go back to their homes was great and that he should send them home, for it was getting late already and they would need to buy food for themselves as they went. Jesus replied to the disciples with this statement: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." (Matt. 14:16) Can you imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples when Jesus told them to feed all those people themselves? They only had two fish and five loaves of bread. How did they expect to feed the people with what they were looking at? Why bother?

As you know the ending of this passage, Jesus prayed to the Father and the food was multiplied beyond need. I'm convicted to look at this verse again and apply it to my questions when I feel inadequate to do the things that God has called me do and to rely on His leading and not on my own understanding! I believe this scripture is only one of many that can help us answer the question, "Why bother?" - because "They do not need to go away. Give them something to eat." We are commissioned by God to give the lost "something to eat" and to live an example before them because if we "let them go away" they will receive a worldly example and starve. I hope this message is getting through today because I feel the need to tell someone to keep on giving, keep on ministering, keep on putting that effort out there - You give them something to eat! God has told me the same! Be blessed today!!

Young Harvest

2010-03-10T10:36:00.000-06:00

This past weekend my wife and I attended a Youth Harvest Training at Camp Hickory Hills in Dickson, Tn. given by the Tennessee Church of God of Prophecy. We were blessed to be around a great group of people that are involved in the youth camps and children's ministries. My friend, Bishop E. C. McKinley and his wife were in attendance along with other great people of God that minister across the State of Tennessee. I was able to catch up with a school buddy of mine that is pastoring a church in Columbia, Gary Clements, and was delighted to meet his wife and also have them meet my wife and to talk about what God is doing in our lives today.

I want to share with you some "tidbits" from the message that Bishop Randall Howard, General Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy, delivered to us Friday night. He spoke to us on the thought of "Why minister to the young harvest?" Is this a question that you have heard in the past? Bishop Howard gave us 9 points to ponder on this question: "Why minister - because..."
1.) It was the "passion of Christ" - Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me."
2.) It is the strategy of the enemy - the enemy targets our young people through music, media, tv, friends, etc...
3.) They are our window of opportunity - they are a ready, reachable harvest. Only a small percentage of our young people believe the Bible is God's word.
4.) Key to a vibrant church - they are not only our future church but they are "a part" of our church today.
5.) They are our missionaries in waiting - mobilize them.
6.) Our guides to a new world
7.) Generation transmission essential - we must translate Christ to them - their secular mind is either Theistic, Moralistic, Therapeutic, or Deism.
8.) They are 50% of the great commission challenge
9.) God is calling us - It's our call to reach our young people before the world does!

This is just an outline of what Bishop Howard gave us but I believe that our dedication to the young harvest is vital. We have to minister to them and love them just as Jesus gave us the example to do! Why minister to the young harvest? Because someone ministered to you and was that example to you!

Favor

2010-03-10T09:58:00.001-06:00

"For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:12
As I sat by the window in the living room yesterday morning and read this scripture, I began to ponder on the blessings and favor of God. We are blessed people to have a God that loves us, to have a God that provides for us, to have a God that wants to have a relationship with us. David said that the Lord surrounds the righteous with favor like a shield. Do you realize that God puts up a shield around us and protects us in times of battle and in times of struggle. I'm thankful that God gives favor to my children, not to make them popular or to cause people to like them, but to protect them, lead them, give them a relationship that only they can have with Him. I love my daughter and son and it's my job as a parent to pray for them to have the favor of God in their life and when the enemy tries to come against them I believe in this scripture, they will have favor as with a shield! Let's all today do away with our own self-righteousness and turn to God's righteousness and let him surround us and our families with his favor! Be blessed today!

19 years

2010-03-03T13:58:00.003-06:00

What a week this started out to be and it's already mid-week and I find myself for the first time being able to sit in my office to reflect on the goodness of the Lord and try to get some work done in the office. I've been on the road pretty much for the last two days visiting hospitals, nursing homes, and funeral homes and I was fortunate to do some substituting at the school yesterday, so I've been pretty busy.

Speaking of yesterday. Yesterday was a very special day in my life because it marked the 19th wedding anniversary for my wife and I. We have made it 19 years and the reason that I say that is because we had some individuals tell us 19 years ago that we wouldn't last 3 years. Well, we had a rough go at the beginning but look at us now!!!! God is a God of restoring marriages and allowing people to grow up and to love eachother with the love that only God can provide. I am a firm believer that only God can provide the love in a relationship between a husband and a wife that will cause them to have the marriage that they need. First, they have to be committed to following God no matter what, individually. They have to have a relationship with the Father before they can have a "right" relationship with the spouse. It's proven in my life! Second, they have to be able to give 110% to the other person not expecting anything in return and when we do this, the other person will return the love.

Kelly has stood with me through the years during my "stupid" times and she's still standing with me as we have embarked on a new challenge doing ministry. I thank God for my companion and I wouldn't want to go this journey alone. She's my "help meet", she's "close enough to perfect for me!" I love my hot wife!!!!! She's the one below with the FAT guy!

Commend Ourselves

2010-02-26T09:38:00.001-06:00

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6: 3-4 "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way..." Notice what Paul is saying in these scriptures, especially as you go on and read through verse 10. Paul said "we commend ourselves." The word commend is derived from the Latin word commendare: com- (intensive) + mandare, to entrust. So, to commend means to represent as worthy, qualified, or desirable; to speak highly of (praise); to put in the care of another (entrust). Paul is saying that as servants of God, and we that are saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ are servants of God, are to trust God in every aspect of their lives. Paul said in every way and he list some of the ways: "in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger..." we are to commend ourselves because, by Him, we are qualified and should desire Him, praise Him and trust Him, be servants of God. We have been given all authority over the circumstances that are in our life through the Saving grace of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Ghost!

It's our opportunity to give God praise and trust as being servants of God. We are called to a purpose and that purpose is spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to live sanctified lives by the drawing and convicting power of the Holy Ghost. Are you leading a spirit-filled life? Some churches have it in their "doctrine" that they believe in practicing and having a spirit-filled life but for some reason you don't see any "fruit" from the "gifts" that come with a spirit-filled life! In order to go through and come out on the other side of what Paul was referring to, and we all go through the things that are listed in these scriptures, we have to practice living sanctified and spirit-filled lives, putting all praise and trust in God as His servants!

Commend yourself today and be the best servant of God that you can be!

Spiritual Batteries

2010-02-23T09:36:00.001-06:00

Last night my family, along with Mark, Lisa and Haley Gibbs attended revival services at Lakeside Church in Westmoreland where they are hosting Evangelist Michael Willingham. It was great to get there a few minutes early and fellowship with Pastor Leon Graves and Bro. Willingham and all other family and friends that attend that church. It was as a homecoming for me as to Lakeside being the church that I cut my teeth on the pews and ran the halls as a child and even did some "valet parking" a few times (inside story)! Nevertheless, the Presence of God is always felt within the walls and within the people that attend that church.

Worship was GREAT last night as the praise team started out with "oldies" but "goodies"! The Lord's name was repeated in each song reminding us "who" we serve and "who" died for us and "who" is the name above all names! It was a great presence of the Holy Spirit in the sanctuary last night as we began to just "get lost" in worship. Thomas Spears was lead of the Lord last night as well. He was scheduled to sing "a special" and when time came for him to sing he couldn't help himself but to follow the presence of the Lord and sing about the name of Jesus! It's awesome to follow the move of God when he wants to LOVE on us and in return causes us to LOVE on Him!

Brother Willingham was an open vessel as he brought forth a great message to the congregation that was there last night. He spoke about "oppression" and gave a word definition of the subject and really brought out some points that we as Christians need to heed to! We've been "crushed" too long, we've been "crouched down" in hidding for too long! It's time that we walk in what we believe and in what we know is real and allow the "power" within us to move us to another level in following Him! I plan on going again tonight to continue to get my "batteries charged" and I hunger and thirst for a mighty move of God in my own life!!

May God richly bless you today is my prayer!

Compelling love of Jesus

2010-02-22T15:09:00.001-06:00

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all..." The word compel in the original language carries a sense of being driven on a course from which you cannot deviate. No other options exist. There's no other course possible. Paul's attitude toward following Jesus was right on course because we see that Paul followed Jesus not because of Paul's love for Jesus, but for the love Jesus has for Paul. This is why we should follow Christ, because His love compels us!

Christianity is a course that should not be deviated no matter what the cost or circumstance. Notice what else Paul says in this scripture, "because we are convinced." Conviction! The love of Christ compels us with nothing less than conviction. I believe that conviction is not only for the time that God is calling us unto Salvation, as Christian people we are being convicted everyday so as to live a life full of blessings! Don't turn a deaf ear to the convicting Spirit of God because he just wants us to draw close and grow in him!

This compelling love from Jesus should radiate in our lives so that we live a transformed life in Christ. Our transformation through the love of Christ should cause an unbelieving world to see the glory of God in our actions, talk, business dealings, friendships, etc... Let's follow Jesus fully today and let His compelling love run through our hearts! God Bless!

All County First Team

2010-02-20T20:27:00.003-06:00

Bailey's picture was in the paper this week and being the proud dad that I am, I have to put it on my blog (even though she doesn't like this picture). Congratulations on being voted All County First Team 2010. It's hard to believe that her Jr High career is over and that she will be playing high school ball next year!

Undivided Hearts

2010-02-18T15:27:00.001-06:00

Last night to begin our Wednesday night services I opened the Bible to Psalm 86: 11-13 which says, "Teach me your ways, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me..." Unless we are taught the ways of Christ we won't know how to walk in truth. Jesus said to "abide in Him" and that's what it takes to have an undivided heart.

If I have a divided heart I am separated into parts or pieces, disunited by disagreement, pulled by conflicting interests or activities, separated by distance (Webster's II dictionary), sadly to say it, but that sounds like the description of some Christian people today. If I allow things of this world to separate me from God I have a divided heart. So many times we find ourselves with divided hearts by engaging in interests other than what God has planned. This sounds only too familiar to me! We must engage in Christ and His truth and that truth is that He gave His life so that we can have life and have it abundantly! We must seek for an undivided heart! We can't let the ways of the world and the schemes of the devil trip us up and trick us into being unfruitful. Let's praise God today with all our hearts and glorify God's name so that we will be united in His love and mercy!

Overcoming schemes

2010-02-17T16:07:00.002-06:00

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." (Ephesians 6:10,11)

So many times we look at this passage of scripture, or I do, and we visualize a devil in a red suit with horns protruding from his head and holding a pitch fork. I don't think that Paul visualized the devil in this form when he urged the church at Ephesus to "be strong in the Lord". The battle that we are fighting is NOT against a red suited devil with a forked tongue. Our battle is against "those that allow themselves" to be part of the "rulers and authorities and dark world" that Paul continues to talk about in the scripture. Paul talked about unity in the Body of Christ and that there were some that could not be part of that unity because of the "futility of their thinking that they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts." (vs17,18)

I'm mad at the devil because he has launched a warfare on me as to being a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Ghost and I have shaken up some ground that he thought he had firmly settled in on! I have authority through JESUS and the HOLY GHOST to plow up every ground that the enemy has tried to make UNFRUITFUL! It is my job as CALLED from GOD to be so close to him in the Spirit, through prayer and fasting and more prayer and fasting and more prayer and fasting, that he causes me to be as Ezekiel and see the valley of dry bones and prophesy the Word of the Lord!

Paul wrote to the Corinthians and he said this, "I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval." (I Corinthians 11:18,19) Let me give the devil a big black eye here, I'm not so dumb that I don't know you have people settled in the church buildings that you use to playout your schemes. It's not rocket science! That's why I stand firm and I stand strong in the mighty power of God and I put on His armor and I fight against the wiles of the enemy and against the rulers and authorities and powers of the dark world. I am going to JUST UP as a Christian and fight the fight!!!!!

Kempville Chapel Gift

2010-02-16T10:12:00.001-06:00

Bishop McKinley has delivered the relief check that God has so graciously allowed the congregation of Kempville Chapel to give. His comments from his daily blog are below:

Today, I was privileged to deliver a check for $2,100 to Bishop David Bryan from the Kempville Chapel Old Time Methodist Church. This love gift is for relief to the people of Haiti

Bishop Bryan, the Director of Global Outreach just returned from Haiti, where he delivered aid.

Monday Morning Reflections

2010-02-15T11:02:00.001-06:00

This weekend was full of fun, fellowship, and the presence of God Almighty! Saturday night was our "sweetheart" dinner where several couples gathered for food (GREAT FOOD BY THE WAY; STEVE WALKER IS THE STEAK KING) fellowship and fun. We had beautiful decorations that got us in the "mood" for Valentine's and we enjoyed some soft music playing as we gathered around the tables and enjoyed the meal that was prepared and had many convesations throughout the night. We were blessed and honored to have with us Greg & Tonya Dunigan as our guests speakers for the event. Greg & Tonya are very good friends of ours whom we attended church with for several years before coming here to pastor. Greg spoke to us about putting God first in every aspect of our lives and just like Matthew 6:33 tells us "all things will be added unto you". If you want blessings in life, abundant blessings in life, just put God first and seek his will for your life and he will add abundant blessings to you. Greg & Tonya, Kelly & myself are just two examples that God can restore marriages that the enemy tries to break apart. When you put God first in your individual life and let REAL LOVE come from God everything else will be put in order.

We had an awesome service yesterday morning! During worship service it was just like the Holy Ghost settled down amongst us and we were lost in worship. The Lord spoke to us through a message and interpretation and let us know that he is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle! It's time to get ready and get things in order! It was just amazing because on Valentine's day God gave us our very own Valentine card in the mist of our worship to him! God is an awesome God! Last night we shared in communion in rememberance of Jesus and what he did to be our Valentine!

Be blessed today and as you go throughout this week tell somebody about Jesus!

Church of God of Prophecy Haiti Relief

2010-02-09T18:34:00.000-06:00

This morning I was privileged to travel to the Tennessee State Offices of the Church of God of Prophecy in Hendersonville, Tn. to hand deliver a monetary gift from the congregation of Kempville Chapel Old Time Methodist Church where I pastor. Our congregation, as a whole, felt very strongly about giving to the Haiti Relief efforts after the devastation of that Nation from the tragic earthquake. I had compiled a list of different organizations that were already affiliated and established for, not only the Haiti relief, but in Haiti prior to the earthquake. Among that list, that I presented to the leadership of Kempville Chapel, was the Global Outreach Ministries of the Church of God of Prophecy which operate an orphanage in Haiti that was directly affected in the earthquake with loss of personnel, children, and property. Our leadership decided to have Global Outreach Ministries to be the recepients of the gift.

I am very familar with this organization (COGOP) as to having a great friendship with Bishop E.C. McKinley, State Overseer of Tennessee, and also many other people of the Church of God of Prophecy. When I was a child, my fine parents brought us up in the Church of God of Prophecy and I have many, many friendships within that church all across the State of Tennessee. I thank God for all the many contacts and dear friendships that he has allowed me to have over the years and I believe that there will be many more to come.

Bishop McKinley has a blog that I follow daily that I enjoy reading and receiving from the Lord through this man of God, and within just a few minutes after I had left his office he had already posted the information about my visit on his blog. You will find a link to his blog here: http://www.tncogop.blogspot.com/

Weekend Reflections

2010-02-08T14:52:00.000-06:00

Where did this weeekend go? It seems like in just a snap of a finger the weekend is gone. Our weekend started out with bball tournaments for the county championship which the Lady Braves (my daughter's team) ended up 2nd place after falling to the Gordonsville Tigers. I have issues with the game but I am learning to let it go, enough said about that!

Yesterday morning @ 5:30am found me with a cup of coffee (actually serveral), bible reading, sermon adjustments and prayer time for the day's services. I am beginning to cherish times like these when I can just relax in the presence of God. I think there may be a message in that statement. We need to learn how to RELAX in God! I'll get back with that one later. 9am prayer time with those few faithful that have committed to join me was also met with the presence of God. I was just lost in prayer beside the organ as people began to come in for Sunday School. On Sunday mornings a few individuals have been meeting in the 9am hour in prayer for the classes and services for that day for over a year now and I believe that the Lord is moving in our S.S. classes and services and also in the lives of those that commit to coming early for prayer. I believe in "intercessory prayer"!!!!

Our 11 am service was awesome! I was lost in the presence of God, yet again, during our worship time! One of the songs was "Glorify Thy Name" and as we were singing I found myself realizing that we are to do what we sing, as well as, do what we say. If we say we are a Christian, we ought to do what Christians do, live right! If we sing about glorifying the name of God in all the earth we should do so! How do we glorify God in all the earth, we submit to him and turn every aspect of our lives over to him and acknowledge that he is Lord of Lord's and King of King's. He is the Almighty God!

The Lord allowed me to speak about the crossing of the Jordan river (Joshua 3). The Lord let us know that we have modern day Jordans to cross in our own individual lives and that we cannot cross them on our own. Sometimes I think we try to wade out in the Jordan's of our lives and find ourselves in a state of drowning and find we are in over our heads because we try to tread on our own without God and then tuck tail and run backwards. Ever been there? We have to realize, as did the Israelites, that we can't cross over into the promises of God, without the presence of God leading and directing our steps! We have to take action and follow the Holy Spirit as he directs us in crossing our Jordan. God has a "promise land" for all his children, it just may be on the other side of our Jordan and we need to listen to the voice of God and follow the directions he gives us through the Word (Bible) and the preaching of the Word (preachers, evangelists, etc...) and then take action and follow by faith. Let's learn how to let God lead us and cross into his blessings he has stored up for us today!

Goose Chase

2010-02-05T18:36:00.000-06:00

I'm excited about this coming Sunday morning! My Sunday School class is starting a new series called CHASE THE GOOSE. Mark Batterson, lead pastor of Washington, D.C.'s National Community Church, is the author of a book intitled Wild Goose Chase from which we get the series from. Here's a little info:

Is your Christian experience boring? It's not supposed to be. Unfortunately, many Christians have been domesticated. Like caged animals in a zoo, we mindlessly and heartlessly trudge through our day-to-day lives. No thrills. No excitement. No adventure. But what if we could break out of the cage and reclaim a sense of spiritual adventure? The Celtic Christians seemed to capture a life like that well with their name for the Holy Spirit - An Geadh-Glas, or the Wild Goose. Life in step with the Holy Spirit is a little like a Wild Goose chase - mysterious, unpredictable, and adventuresome. Chase the Goose is a Bible study inviting you to break out of the cages of responsibility, routine, assumptions, guilt, failure, and fear, and to start reclaiming the spiritual adventure God has planned for all Christians. God only knows where this Wild Goose chase will take you.

Sounds like fun, don't it! I would recommend purchasing this book from LifeWay Christian Bookstore if you want to have an adventuresome experience.

Listen, Lead, Leave

2010-02-05T17:55:00.000-06:00

"Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before..." (Joshua 3:4)

Moses was now dead. Joshua was now the servant of the Lord that would lead the Israelites across the Jordan. The Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous because he would lead the people to inherit the land he promised to their forefathers to give them. As I was reading this passage of scripture this morning I couldn't help but realize that in order for the Israelites to inherit the land, "the promises of God", three things had to happen. There had to be a listening, a leading, and a leaving.

Joshua, first, had to listen to the voice of God. In order for the Israelites to receive the blessings of God and the promises of God, Joshua had to have an open ear and an open spirit to what God was telling him. I believe that in our individual lives we have to do the same thing. Are we preoccupied with other things in our lives that drown out the voice of God? Are we wrapped up in listening to other people, wrapped up in technology, internet, etc... and are not really giving "ear" to God? In order for us as Christians to go where God has promised us to go, we have to first listen to what he is telling us.

Secondly, Joshua had to lead the Israelites into the promise and plan that God had for them. Joshua couldn't do this on his own, so he had to gather some people around him to be put into leadership positions to help facilitate the process. The Priests, which were Levites, were in some part in a leadership position (carrying the ark of God before the Israelites) and they had to submit to the leadership of Joshua and trust that he was hearing from God and in turn they had to follow his lead. I like to believe that the Priests, in submitting to the leadership set before them, was finding themselves to be leaders. Isn't that what Christianity is all about? Submitting to God's authority and letting Him teach us how to lead someone else to the Kingdom.

Thirdly, the Israelites had to leave the stationary position they were in and to travel some unfamilar territory. I wonder what it must have felt like to cross that Jordan River? In order to receive the promise of God they had to trust in the leadership of Almighty God! We sometimes want to hold back and see what's going to happen and then if everything turns out ok then we are eager to join in. What if the Priests had done that very thing? I don't think the Israelites would have received the promise. What if the Israelites had held back to watch? Think they would be out of luck also! What if Joshua wouldn't have listened to who was leading him? Could have been a mess!

To sum up what I believe God is telling me, we have to be able to listen, lead, and leave when it comes to doing the will of God. Whatever end of the spectrum we find ourselves (leader or follower) we have to learn to trust in what God has promised and set before us.

Community of Believers

2010-02-03T10:42:00.000-06:00

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42

Yesterday I was on the road for most of the day traveling from hospital to hospital, as I am about to head out to do again this morning, but as I was having coffee & devotion time before I began my day I was reading in the book of Acts on the account of the "first church". Peter had just finished his "pentecostal sermon" and the Bible says that those that were with Peter were "pricked in their heart", in other words, what Peter had just spoken to them about pierced their heart, soul and mind. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. He concluded that statement with this, "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (v38) I think a lot of people are missing this ingredient when it comes to holy living before God.

In order for the children of God, the church, to be a community of believers that are steadfast in prayer we have to realize that our hearts, souls, and minds may need to be pricked daily through the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding. I want to be open to the ways of the Lord and I can't help but believe that what Peter was preaching referred to me also. Let's be a community of believers and turn our hearts, souls, and minds back to the basics of Christianity! Let's be Christ-like today and live a holy life before the Lord.

WOW

2010-02-01T12:15:00.004-06:00

One of my tweet people had this link on twitter this morning. Read it and you'll be convicted of feeling sorry for yourself when you get a headache. Just click on the link below.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35086396/ns/health-cancer//

Inquiring Minds (continued)

2010-01-30T14:56:00.002-06:00

"As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me." (2 Samuel 5:20b)

King David was in battle against the Philistines and the promise of the Lord was that he would hand over the enemy to David and his men. I like the analogy of the waters breaking forth. When I read this passage of scripture I can vision David's army coming against the Philistines in a way that caused the Philistine army to be in awe and amazment of the feeling of overshadowing. When I think of waters breaking forth, I think of a gushing, forceful, speedy, energized body of water spreading out and covering whatever it falls upon. This is how the power of God should be in our lives. If we are facing giants (the Philistines were in the land of gaints) we can overcome those gaints by the force of God that works in us by just releasing ourselves to the obedience of God's will in us. Whatever the battle, it's not greater than the power of God. Whatever the choice, it's not greater than the power of God. Whatever the decision, it's not greater than the power of God. We need to let the power of God break forth like waters into our lives and we will see the glory of the Lord work in our daily lives.

David inquired of the Lord in his battle. We must do the same and in so doing, we will see that the Lord will go before us and cause us to "hear the sound of marching" (another post). When we hear from God we are to move quickly and as King James says, "bestir thyself" - become active, rouse up. It's time to be active in the Kingdom of God and rouse up some dead spirits that have been just laying around among giants and to go forth in His name and live victorious!! Inquire of the Lord today and watch Him do a work in you!!

Inquiring Minds

2010-01-28T14:58:00.000-06:00

The Lord has put in my spirit this week the passage of scripture we find in 2 Samuel chapter 5 that talks about King David inquiring of the Lord about a battle with the Philistines. We have battles in our lives just about everyday. We make choices in our lives just about everyday. We have some kind of decision that we have to make in our lives everyday. Those battles, choices, and decisions may be good battles, choices, and decisions, or they may be bad battles, choices, and decisions. How can we take those battles, choices, and decisions and be confident that we are going to be victorious? We do what David did. We inquire of the Lord about our battles, choices, and decisions.

David knew that there was going to be a battle against the Philistines and the first thing he did was inquire. 2 Samuel 5: 18, 19 "Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?' The Lord answered him, 'Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.' " David used good sense when it came down to choosing this battle and he made the right decision. He asked the Lord what to do. He was victorious because the Lord assisted him in this battle. We can be victorious in our battles, heartaches, frustrations, etc... if we would just learn to inquire of the Lord about our business.

I believe God has more for us in this passage of scripture so, to borrow a phrase from Paul Harvey, keep tuned in for "the rest of the story, good day!"

Coke is evil

2010-01-26T09:53:00.000-06:00

I sit in my office this morning a humbled man. I sit in my office this morning in repentance. I sit in my office this morning in shame. BOY, DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW! Last night as I was having dinner at my CTI (Christian Training Institute) class (subway sandwiches, chips and COKE) I began to feel dirty and ashamed of what I was putting in my body. Why you ask? You may or may not know that the congregation of KC and myself were on a 21 day Daniel fast and of course it, as all great things, has come to an end. But you know, as I was on that fast and only drinking water I began to feel better about myself, lost some weight but also my body, stomach, energy, etc... seemed to be better than ever (benefits of giving yourself to the Lord through discipline). All I have been drinking lately is water, some tea this past Sunday, but that was it. When I decided to drink a COKE last night with my sub sandwich about 5 minutes later I began to feel why cokes are evil. My body began to let me know that I was putting something into it that seemed to be foreign in nature from what it has become accustom to. You know what I mean?

As I was reading my devotional this morning I was intrigued by the title of it: "Choices" (I made a bad one last night with the evil coke). I want to share with you this morning a little from that devotional. 2 Corinthians 5:9 says, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." Your life is a series of choices. From the instant you wake up in the morning until the moment you nod off to sleep at night, you make lots of decisions: decisions about the things you do, decisions about the words you speak, and decisions about the thoughts you choose to think. Simply put, the quality of those decisions determines the quality of your life. So, if you sincerely want to lead a life that is pleasing to God, you must make choices that are pleasing to Him.

I care about the decisions that my two children are going to make in their own life and with that caring, I as a parent, want to teach them the qualities of life. The most important quality that anyone could receive is having and walking in the presence of God through an upright, quality relationship with Christ. God is looking for us all to live a life of quality in our daily lives and to make good choices through His guidance. Just like in the devotional this morning tells us, we have to make good choices from the time that we wake up in the morning until the time that we go to bed and then do it all over again the next morning. We can only make good choices and the right choices when we are relying upon God to lead us and guide us because afterall, we are supposed to surrender our all to Him anyway! Be blessed today and drink water, stay away from the evil coke!!

No Complaining

2010-01-25T13:10:00.001-06:00

What wonderful weekend services we had at KC yesterday! We witnessed 4 individuals joining the church, 2 individuals being baptized in water, and experienced a great day in the Lord.

I spoke in last nights service about when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt they got to a place to where they became frustrated on their journey. Exodus 16: 2 says, "In the desert the whole community grumbled (murmured - kjv) against Moses and Aaron." In other words they began to complain because they were out of their comfort zone, so to speak. They were finally out from under the bondage of Pharaoh but when they began to go through some "pains of change" (hunger, thirst) they referred back to their past. "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted..." (vs 3). Isn't it funny how when God is trying to "move" us to a place to where he can use us and free us from the bondage of the enemy and sometimes "ourselves", how we just pay no attention to God having authority over our lives and we tend to not trust in him. I don't want to be like the Israelites and complain about the "season" that God has moved me in and further more the "season" that he has laid out ahead for me! When God is trying to reposition us it's for our own good and His glory!

I see that the Israelites became carnal minded when they should have continued to follow Moses and Aaron (God's leaders for them) and trusted in what God was telling them and where he was leading them. The bible says "to be carnally minded is death.." (Romans 8: 6) If we, in our Christian walk, expect to have love, joy, peace and a spirit filled life we have to be spiritually minded. We can't do what the Israelites did and start complaining. That verse goes on to say, "but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." The Lord had a plan for the children of Israel and he also has a plan for you today.

As we go through this Christian life let's be reminded that God is a good God and that he loves us and he is planning things out for us. He has gone before us to make way for our freedom. Let him lead and guide you without complaining! I've had some complaints of my own lately, but God is showing me that if I just trust in him he will bring me out of bondage and into life and peace!

Break-Fast

2010-01-22T21:11:00.001-06:00

This morning began a brand new season for the congregation of Kempville Chapel. Today we "break the fast" that we committed to as a unit. I had a pancake for "breakfast" this morning and it was absolutely the finest tasting pancake that I believe I have ever put in my mouth, by the way, the cup of coffee was just "good to the last drop"! For lunch I had nothing, but for dinner this afternoon, hamburger steak, tater tots, and salad, em' em' good! I was speaking with a close minister friend of mine (my best friend actually) this morning about what God has already done in our time of fasting and prayer for a greater move of the Spirit and Salvation coming to those that are lost and he made this comment: "this morning you are having break-fast" in other words, breakfast - the night is over it's time to be replenished. This speaks to those that have been deligently seeking God in giving him the firstfruits of the year (21 days).

As I break-fast today I am still lending an ear to the voice of God and surrendering my all to him because I believe that the benefits, answers, INSTRUCTIONS or whatever you label it, are going to come all year long as well as it has in the 21 days. You see Moses seperated himself for 40 days to get "in the presence of God" not knowing that God would give him the commandments (instructions). We have already seen the mighty hand of God in Salvation to four young people in the last week and a half alone! I'm trusting that we as children of God allow ourselves the opportunity to be changed through prayer and fasting so that our hearts begin to break for the things that break the heart of God. You see some would say that fasting is not important, that they can receive and have prayers answered by just praying and still eating. Well, maybe so, but OH WHAT BENEFITS come to a willing vessel that magnifies the name of the Lord and his wonderous works.

Today's food that I consumed was great, but it doesn't hold a candle to the spiritual nurishment that has been consumed over the past 21 days. I praise the Lord for sustaining me in times of weakness and hunger. I praise the Lord for his guiding hand and I stand on his promise that he will see me through. Wherever the Lord leads me (geographically and spiritually) I want to serve Him!!!! Let us all have break-fast today and be replenished by the hand of God!

8th grade recognition

2010-01-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

I want to share this picture with you of my wonderful daughter, Bailey, on 8th grade recognition night at DES. The Lady Braves finished the season last night with a 10-2 record only being beaten by Gordonsville Middle (which we beat in the opening tourny this year) and we meet them again in the county tourny coming up next week. Go Lady Braves! Mom and Dad are proud of you Bailey!

Absence

2010-01-22T10:52:00.001-06:00

Sorry about the absence of posting anything since Monday but we are in the process of getting Blake back to health. He has battled double pneumonia this week, in the process, he is going "stir crazy" and I think that I am about to be in the same boat with him. To God be the glory, he is on the downslide of this sickness. Thank you for your prayers and calls in regards to Blake for his speedy recovery.

I will make another post this afternoon, but I want to release a blessing to you first. We were able to see the hand of God again this past Wed night with another young person receiving Christ into their heart! Salvation is on the rise!!! Praise the Lord for his wonderful grace, mercy, and salvation. I look forward to this coming Sunday morning worship!

Be blessed today is my prayer.

Weekend Reflections

2010-01-18T12:04:00.000-06:00

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"
2 Corinthians 9:15

I want to give God praise this morning for what he is doing in our church at Kempville Chapel. Yesterday morning we "opened the doors to the church" and accepted two new members and word has it that another one is going to join next Sunday!! Last Sunday (Jan. 10th) there was a young lady Saved in Sunday School and I had the honor to baptize her during the service yesterday and during the baptizing Natalie Jones received Salvation in the fellowship hall of the church! That's not all, last Wed. night Adam Kemp received Salvation after church at his grandparents house and they also had a feet washing before they left!!! I'm looking forward to next Sunday morning as to baptizing Adam and hopefully Natalie and also expecting more to be baptized as we continue to pray for salvation for the lost!!!

God is doing a work as we commit to Him! Praise God for his indescribable gift of salvation and the joy of being a Christian and seeing the hand of God move. I believe that we are beginning to see REVIVAL happen in our church and we are beginning to be "effective and productive" for the Lord!!!! Be blessed today and do something RADICAL for the Lord.

Effective and Productive

2010-01-16T11:45:00.002-06:00

"For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:8 NIV)

The qualities that Peter was talking about are a very important part of our lives as Christians. It is of the utmost importance that we are among the "rich" when it comes to the blessings of God. What do I mean by "rich"? Peter said to have faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are characteristics of a true disciple of Jesus Christ and I believe that if we are not practicing these qualities or do not have these qualities in us, we may not be right with God. Yes, this is a bold statement, but I believe that it's time to be BOLD if we are going to win the lost for Jesus and expect to receive blessings from God.

Peter goes on to say that "if anyone does not have them, (qualities) he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." (v 9) What have we caused in our own lives to seep in and make us blind to the characteristics of being a Christian? In my prayer time I find that I have been blind to some things of God and have had a case of near-sightedness of my own. As I was taking the family dog out this morning I was pondering on some things and I was reminded of the television series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous made popular by Robin Leach that featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes and business moguls. I don't know why I thought of this show other than God leading me to this scripture this morning about the qualities of a Christians. Go radical with me just for a moment and imagine Peter doing a TV show in Heaven somewhat like Leach's show but it involved the Children of God! Would you be a featured person on the scroll screen of Heaven with your "qualities and characteristics" being that of what Jesus has set out for you to be? This makes me want to follow the instructions of Peter and "make my calling and election sure to receive a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of God." (v 10,11)

For me to be effective and productive, I have to reach for these characteristics of God and live a life that is pleasing to him and then he will make me "rich" with blessings of abundance! Be blessed today!!!!

Stinkers

2010-01-14T11:14:00.002-06:00

Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. (Charles Swindoll)

This quote was taken from my morning devotional and it talked about counting our blessings and the attitude that we must have as Christians. Sometimes I think that our attitudes cause us as individuals to stink, and if we as individuals stink, then the people that are around us are going to stink. I heard it said one time that you can put a person with an awful, rotten, mopey attitude in the room with several happy, enthusiastic people and after a period of time some of those people begin to have a change in their attitude because of the influence of this rotten attitude. Have you noticed how easily influenced that people can be? How are you influencing the people around you, or, are you being influenced by someone else's rotten attitude?

Philippians 4:8 says "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NIV) If we would do what Paul was saying we will have better attitudes about life, about our home, about our church, about our jobs, about our situations, about everything! Think on the things of God today and let him change your attitude about things. Let's not be stinkers when it comes to being Christlike!

Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-13T13:43:00.003-06:00

As we pray today the people of Haiti need our prayers desperately. I was watching the news and looking at the Internet coverage of the earthquake and I have a since of urgency to pray for those that have lost loved ones and for those that may still be trapped alive. There is an image on FOX News of a father holding his infant daughter that had been pulled from the rubble and you can see the anguish on his face. Headlines are reporting that bodies are piling up on the streets from this devastating earthquake. Those of us who can not go to them can send prayers to our Heavenly Father in their time of need. Join with me today in prayer for the people of Haiti.

More than enough

2010-01-11T12:26:00.005-06:00

We had a great service yesterday morning at Kempville Chapel and during Sunday School we had a young lady give her life to Christ. Alanna Young was saved and is now a part of the Body of Christ! This year is starting out great!!! We also had a great time of worship with people just getting lost in the presence of God. When people really turn everything over to the Lord during times of praise and worship you begin to feel and see an uplifting of the love that God has for His children. I'm reminded of what Paul said in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (niv). I'm excited about what God has in store for us in this new year because he has promised that he would open the windows of heaven and pour out his blessings upon those who seek him and worship him.

Yesterday I spoke to the congregation about some "lions" that may be staring them in the face and keeping them from realizing how big God is in their lives. I shared with them that during this first fruits 21 day commitment that I have been on, the Lord is causing me (the Pastor) to see some things (lions) that are dark and not pleasing to him. I shared with them the passage of Scripture in 2 Samuel 23:20 where Beniah was a "lion chaser" and overcame other "odds" that showed just how big his God was. We have to live our lives daily with the power of God on our tongues, fingertips, feet, eyes, etc.... Our whole being (all that is within us) should be about the power of God working in our lives! Are you facing any lions that may be trying to steal your joy, peace, love, etc... If so, talk to God about your battles (lions) and he will answer you and he will give you exceedingly abundantly more (above) than you can ask for!

Be blessed today and chase those lions with the power of God in your life!

Know His Wisdom

2010-01-09T16:27:00.004-06:00

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."
I Corinthians 1:25

In some conversations that you may hear over the period of your lifetime you may hear someone say that it is foolish to believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. I've actually heard those words come from individuals that really thought it was foolish to believe in something or someone that you could not put your hands on or you could not see. Is it foolish to believe? I believe with all my heart that it's foolish NOT to believe! We have all things set before our eyes (trees, mountains, bodies of water, plants, animals, newborn babies, even the white snow that is still falling from the sky) that come from the God of all creation!

Paul said that the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. This tells me that no matter how much I think I know or how much I educate myself, or how much I think I've arrived, it has not even exceeded matching up with God's foolishness. Paul says to the Corinthians; "think of what you were when you were called." Do you remember what you were when God called you? You were a sinner that didn't have a clue about the Kingdom of God but through prayer, reading the word, and fasting we can become His righteousness and know His wisdom!

The Bible says that "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." (vs 30) God made a way for us to know His wisdom, through Jesus Christ! Let this be a day that you reach for more of Him with every breath that you take and every step that you make. Are your steps pleasing Him?

Calming Fears

2010-01-08T14:34:00.004-06:00

I want to share with you today's devotion from my devotional book, Once a Day Every Day for Men, that I have for this year (hope everyone has some sort of devotional tool plus the Bible everyday to help you along the way).

Calming Your Fears
"Be not afraid; only believe." Mark 5:36
Most of the things we worry about will never come to pass, yet we worry still. We worry about the future and the past; we worry about finances and relationships. As we survey the landscape of our lives, we observe all manner of molehills and imagine them to be mountains. Are you concerned about the inevitable challenges that make up the fabric of everyday life? If so, why not ask God to help you regain a clear perspective about the problems (and opportunities) that confront you? When you petition your Heavenly Father sincerely and seek His guidance, He can touch your heart, clear your vision, renew your mind, and calm your fears.

A touch births service

2010-01-07T16:44:00.003-06:00

"When Jesus came into Peter's house he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him." Matthew 8:14, 15

I can see Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed, the Bible doesn't say, but she was probably pale, chilled, nauseous, weak, achy, etc... and yet didn't say a word. When I read this scripture today it jump out at me that Jesus didn't say a word either! He just touched her hand and the fever that was inside her body making her weak, achy, chilled, etc... left in an instant, just by His touch. What did she do in the moment Jesus' hand left her hand do you wonder? I like to believe that she maybe just lay there for a moment in awe of what had just happened to her. I believe that she was in awe of the pain instantly leaving her body. I believe that she was in awe of feeling the fever leave her body. I can see her after that moment of awe, throwing back the sheets and rising to her feet and going to work doing what mother-in-laws do! She was able to serve Jesus and Peter because Jesus had served her with his touch!

Do you need the hand of Jesus to touch you today? Do you find yourself in bed, Spiritually speaking or maybe even sick in body? Jesus will walk by and touch your hand and you will feel Him, if you let Him! Do you need Him to touch you today so that you can be of service to Him? We all are called to do something for Him and we need to seek His direction for our lives and find out what our service to Him will be!

He's All I Need

2010-01-07T13:01:00.002-06:00

He's all I need
He's all I need
Jesus is all I need.
He satisfies
My needs supply
Jesus is all I need.

This is a simple worship hymn that sums it all up! I'm reminded of the woman with the issue of blood that had been sick for twelve years and the bible says that "she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." (Mark 5:26 niv). For twelve long years suffering with this condition and doing everything that she possibly could do without avail, I wonder if she ever got weary? I'm sure that she must have been frustrated after doing everything possible to be healthy. I find when I keep reading in that passage that she did have something that she had not run out of or spent yet, she had hope! You see when she heard about Jesus, I believe that the hope of being healed by Him grew more and more by the moment and when she finally saw Him and got behind Him she reached out and touched His cloak (garment) and "immediately" the bleeding stopped! He's all that she needed! Her "faith" was all she needed to be healed by the "Healer"!

I know that some of you reading this today have joined in with me and others in prayer and fasting for the first 21 days of the year and you may be getting frustrated and weak and weary. But let me remind you that your sacrifice will be blessed and that Jesus is all you need! I know it's hard to give up some things that our bodies are addicted to (cokes, little debbie cakes, meat, O'Charley's rolls, etc...) but without the sacrifice there is no atonement. We have to be determined that no matter what comes our way and no matter how many withdrawals we have, Jesus is all we need! I trust that you are praying and seeking God for direction in your lives today and wanting more of Jesus. He's all I need!

Spiritual Health

2010-01-05T21:12:00.003-06:00

It seems like forever since I have posted anything on the blog but the truth is I've been pretty busy! The past couple of days have just been filled with visiting and witnessing, stocking up on healthy food for the snow scare, and other family things! Life is great!

We had an awesome time in the Lord Sunday morning at KC with a singing from The Wisecarvers from Erwin, Tn. It was a great way to kick off the first Sunday of the New Year! I believe God has something in store for the folks at KC and also for all of His children who want to make a difference in life. We are starting off this year in anticipation of a great revival within our church and also within our lives! I can't wait to see what God does!

With the new year comes new resolutions to be in better health physically and I don't know if you made one or not but let me share with you something about your Spiritual health. "And we have this command from Him: the one who loves God must also love his brother." (I John 4:21 Holman CSB) C. S. Lewis once said, "A man's spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God." If we are to enjoy the spiritual health that God intends for us, we must praise Him, we must love Him, and we must obey Him.

When we worship God faithfully and obediently, we invite His love into our hearts. When we truly worship God, we allow Him to rule over our days and our lives. In turn, we grow to love God even more deeply as we sense His love for us. We are to "love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength" and if we do that then our spiritual health will overflow into love for our brothers! Seek His righteousness for this new year!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:32:00.003-06:00

2010 is here! Can you believe that we have started another decade? The Lord has blessed us yet again to rise another day and this day just happens to be the first day of 2010! As I was looking in God's word this morning, I read in Psalm 40 verse 3 where David said, "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Do you have a NEW song in your mouth today? God has granted you not only another day, but has granted you to see and be a part of a new beginning, a new year, a new decade!

You may be reading this and thinking that this 'ol boy is crazy but I'm glad that I have another opportunity to put a new song in my mouth! I'm looking forward to a new year in Christ. I'm looking forward to all the blessings that He's going to release to His children!

Have you been battling in your mind, spirit, and body over the things that afflict you? Put a new song in your mouth! The bible says that "the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (I John 4:4 niv) also it says that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). We don't have to be afflicted by sins of the world, we don't have to be afflicted by pain and sickness, we don't have to deal with depression in our lives, we don't have to have a broken marriage, we don't have to live in poverty, and the list goes on and on. We can put a new song in our mouth for this new year of 2010 and live victorious through Jesus Christ! Do you know Him?

I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

Fasting

2009-12-30T15:03:00.004-06:00

I did something yesterday that I have never done before in my life! I went to Books-a-million and bought Jentezen Franklin's book "Fasting" and started at 3:30pm reading NINE (9) chapters before putting it down and then I finished the other 8 chapters this morning! I couldn't put it down! I have never read a book, cover to cover, in less than 24 hours!! For that matter, I can't remember ever reading a book cover to cover in less than 24 months! Ha! Oh yeah, I did read "Primal" cover to cover just a few weeks ago (i forgot), "am I turning into a book nerd?" If it glorifies God in my life, it's ok to be a book nerd! Anyway...

One of Jentezen's first comments in his book is this, "When I feel myself growing dry spiritually, when I don't sense that cutting-edge anointing, or when I need a fresh encounter with God, fasting is the secret key that unlocks heaven's door and slams shut the gates of hell." Do you ever feel like you are drained spiritually and your anointing seems to be fading away? I've been in that feeling before and the enemy will try to make mountains out of mole hills when you feel this way. As previously blogged, I have challenged my congregation to join me in a 21 day fast for the new year beginning this Friday at midnight. I'm ramped up and ready to go!

As we begin a new year, I want God's anointing to be "in high definition" in my life so that the "gospel of Jesus Christ can be spread abroad" to a lost and dying world. I'm seeking direction in my ministry as well as for Kempville Chapel. "Lord, what is your will for your people for 2010?" Let's have this question in our hearts and minds as we begin another great year of our Lord!

Understanding

2009-12-29T07:22:00.004-06:00

My devotion this morning came from Ephesians 5:1,2 "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." As you read on in this chapter it explains how to be an imitator of God, verse 17 says to "Understand what the will of the Lord is". How do we do this? Prayer and fasting! How do we communicate and cultivate the will of God in our lives? Prayer and fasting!

I Thessalonians 4:3 says "It is God's will that you should be sanctified". A little bit about sanctification for a moment...We were at mom and dad's for Christmas Sunday afternoon and the subject of smoking came up and my mom told us how she stopped smoking ... she said, "You know when I stopped smoking? When I got sanctified!" You see sanctification will allow us to live a holy life before the Lord because it causes us to not want to do the things that we used to do and that are sinful! Verse 4 goes on to say "that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...". Verse 7 says "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." If we are to understand the will of God in our lives we have to be sanctified, we have to live pure, holy lives before Him. How do we do this ... through prayer and fasting!

Why should I fast? So that "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ... give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might" Ephesians 1:17-19. In other words, "to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him - endless energy, boundless strength!" (message)

In my prayer this morning I asked the Lord to sanctify me! All of me! Yes I did this a long time ago too, but I believe that you can't out ask God! Do you need to "understand the will of God in your life"? Talk to Him!

Weekend Reflections

2009-12-28T15:22:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning's service at Kempville Chapel was somewhat of a mellow sitting, if you will. It seemed like the hype, excitement and adrenaline from Christmas was settling. Our attendance was down quite a bit (other churches reported low attendance as well) due to sickness and holiday stuff but nevertheless we carried on with the Lord's work.

The Lord has challenged me to do a 21 day fast (Daniel fast/partial fast) beginning Jan. 1. I shared this with the congregation yesterday morning and challenged all that were there to join me in fasting and prayer. I shared about what God is calling me to fast for and one of those is direction. I feel the Lord is calling me to seek His will and direction, not mine! He is calling me to seek His salvation for lost people. We're not seeing people SAVED and that's a problem!!! He is calling me to seek a greater desire for Him, a desire for people and a desire to know what will bring people to Him! We have a message to bring to people and sometimes the methods need to change to reach them! Are we in the right direction or does our direction need to change?

We need to seek God for direction in our personal lives as well as the direction of the "church". Have we let "desires for other things" choke our purpose of being Christians? Food for thought!

You are thought of

2009-12-26T11:32:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas with your families and hope that "Santa" brought everything that you wanted. It's always a good feeling when you know that you have given to others and they are "happy" because they know that they were thought of. It's good to know that we are thought of from time to time!

I'm glad that God thought of me from the very beginning just like the Bible says in Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee", and also Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end". God thought of us even before we existed! That's awesome to know and awesome to realize, that we serve an Almighty God that loves us and cares for us and wants us to have everything that makes us happy, but we must want Him in order to be happy!!

Be blessed today and don't eat too many leftovers!